When food safety is discussed, attention naturally turns to ingredients, production processes and hygiene within the filling facility. Packaging materials are also carefully assessed to ensure they are suitable for direct contact with food.
However, there is another potential source of risk that can be overlooked: the manufacturing process behind the packaging itself.
A container may be manufactured using food-safe materials, but this alone does not address every possible contamination risk. How its components are handled, assembled, stored and transported can be just as important as the materials from which it is made.
Food-safe material is only the starting point
Traditional standards for food-contact plastic packaging tend to focus on the type and characteristics of the materials used. This includes matters such as the suitability of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), gaskets and colourants for contact with the filling product.
Material compliance is essential, but it represents only one part of the overall food safety picture.
Potential risks can also arise throughout the packaging production process. The manufacturing environment, handling practices, component storage and condition of the finished packaging can all affect the level of protection provided to the eventual filling product.
For food manufacturers, this means that selecting packaging based solely on material certification may leave important process-related risks unaddressed.
Material compliance should therefore be regarded as the foundation of food-safe packaging rather than the final step.
Looking at the complete manufacturing chain
A completed IBC may appear clean, secure and ready for filling, but its condition at the point of delivery is the result of many earlier processes.
Raw materials must be delivered and stored. Components must then be manufactured, handled and transferred through production. The inner bottle needs to be moved to final assembly, while closures and other components must be stored and fitted correctly. Once assembled, the finished packaging must be protected while awaiting dispatch.
Each stage can introduce potential risks that require appropriate controls.
If a food safety assessment focuses only on the materials used in the finished container, these process-related factors may receive less attention. For businesses filling food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic products, that can leave an important gap in their overall risk-management approach.
This is the gap that the SCHÜTZ FOODCERT standard is designed to address.
What is SCHÜTZ FOODCERT?
SCHÜTZ FOODCERT is a dedicated food safety standard for packaging. It considers the complete manufacturing chain, from the delivery of raw materials through to the dispatch of finished products.
The FOODCERT management system is based on the Food Safety System Certification FSSC 22000, which is recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).
The system combines food safety management requirements with dedicated prerequisite programmes for food-packaging manufacturing and HACCP-based risk management. Rather than looking only at the materials used, it considers the processes, people and environments involved in producing the finished packaging.
This approach helps potential sources of contamination to be identified and controlled throughout production.
What does this mean in practice?
FOODCERT introduces additional controls across production, storage and quality management.
These measures include:
- Regular microbiological surface inspections
- Enhanced hygiene requirements for employees and production environments
- Extended traceability to material or batch level
- Regularly tested product recall procedures
- More frequent inspections of water baths and blowing air
- Routine checks of glass, hard-plastic parts and blades for integrity
- Extended pest-control measures
- Food Defence procedures addressing product safety and bioterrorism
- Specialised employee training at shorter intervals
Careful handling of packaging components is also built into the process. Components are specially packed and stored in small quantities, while finished products are stored under covers. IBC inner bottles are transferred directly to final assembly and immediately closed using the original cap, helping to reduce unnecessary exposure.
Production operates on a just-in-time, made-to-order basis, with packaging manufactured in response to individual customer and distributors. Customer-specific process instructions, such as procedures for cleaning drawing-oil residues, may also be available where required.
Why this matters for food manufacturers
Food manufacturers invest heavily in protecting products from contamination. The packaging selected should support those efforts at every stage.
An IBC intended for a food-related application should not only be made from suitable materials. Manufacturers should also be confident that it has been produced, assembled, handled and stored within a system designed specifically to manage food safety risks.
Choosing packaging manufactured under an independently recognised food safety system provides greater transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain. It also demonstrates to customers and stakeholders that food safety has been considered beyond the minimum requirements for material compliance.
A more complete approach to food-safe packaging
The hidden risk is not necessarily the packaging material itself. It is everything that can happen around that material before the container reaches your facility.
By combining food-safe materials with HACCP risk management, enhanced hygiene controls, traceability and process-specific safeguards, SCHÜTZ FOODCERT provides a more comprehensive approach to protecting sensitive filling products.
To learn more about SCHÜTZ FOODCERT packaging and the options available for your application, contact the Industrial Packaging team.