UPM Raflatac receives food safety certification across Europe

UPM Raflatac has had all of its factories across Europe certified according to the ISO 22000:2005 food safety standard.

UPM Raflatac receives food safety certification across Europe

This certificate ensures that the products are designed and manufactured according to the European good manufacturing practice (GMP) regulation, EU 2023/2006. Food safety management starts from raw materials and the design of the products, further covering the facilities and production as well as deliveries and market documentation. Management systems are certified and regularly audited by a third-party auditing company.  

UPM Raflatac stated that it follows the European legislation for food safety to make sure the label material range for food is compliant within the intended use. UPM Raflatac supplies Declarations of Compliance (DoCs) for food labeling materials. The DoCs for film face materials define the recommended use, the legal compliance of the product component and the listing of any potentially migrating substances based on the definition in the Plastic Regulation EU 10/2011. DoCs for adhesives and paper face materials use the same format as applicable.

UPM Raflatac stated that it is the first self-adhesive label material supplier to have all factories in Europe receive such certification.

Vesa Laaksonen, director of quality development at UPM Raflatac, said: ‘On a practical level, food safety is present in everyday factory life. Eating and drinking is prohibited in the production area and we use protective clothing and require hand washing before entering production. Cleanliness and pest control are taken very seriously. All this and more is being assessed once a year by a third-party auditor.

‘Additionally, our food safety teams in factories conduct internal audits in between to ensure day to day compliance and to discuss food safety topics with factory employees.’