Modern packaging materials make possible distribution, extended storage, and convenient sale of food products. The increasing use of adhesives in packaging has focused attention on the potential effect that these materials or their components might have on the contents of the package and on the health of the consumer.
The criteria that had primarily been used for insuring safety in packaging materials was interactions of the container and products over long periods of time prior to consumption. However, as packaged foods become dominant in the daily diet, the emphasis has been broadened to include the possible accumulation of materials producing chronic toxicity as opposed to toxicity produced by a single ingestion.
As a result, the regulation of food packaging materials, including adhesives, has become a global subject of tremendous impact. Adhesive formulators struggle to understand and comply with these regulations. Converters are also affected since the processing of adhesive systems can lead to unintended by-products.