In recent years, security issues have received high attention from all industries, especially the food industry. The regulation of each stage before and after product production, such as tracking and tracing, mobilizes every link to strictly ensure quality. This has prompted the author to reflect: Is the inkjet ink around us safe? What is the standard for judging its safety?
The need for a compliant and non-toxic ink system in food packaging has become urgent. In recent years, consumers' concern about food quality and safety has increased significantly. Governments and relevant organizations in various countries have also introduced a series of regulations and standards to regulate food production. Frequent food safety incidents internationally have warned many insiders in the industry: Every detail of food production has a very important impact on food safety and quality. In this profound reflection triggered by the industry, safety is absolutely the most critical point that cannot be ignored. Then, when extending this question to the inkjet coding industry, how many more aspects can we explore and reflect on?
Small details highlight the importance of ink safety.
Phenomenon One: Eggs neatly displayed in large supermarket counters are mostly printed with codes according to standard requirements, indicating production time and other information. However, eggs sold by street vendors do not have any printing. On the contrary, street vendors often have better sales. The author specifically asked customers who frequent small stalls why they prefer these eggs without information assurance. Many customers expressed concerns about the ink used for printing on boiled eggs: "That seems to be ink, I'm not sure if it's safe or not. After all, I buy these for my children, so I am a bit worried."
Reflection Point: Once the ink printed on eggs migrates, is it still completely safe and harmless?
Phenomenon Two: Some meat product companies frequently spray code before high-temperature cooking, but the sprayed code information is often cooked off, and some components of the ink may directly penetrate into the meat products.
Reflection Point: For known potential penetration phenomena, how do inkjet printer manufacturers ensure its complete safety? What is the standard? Who supervises this process?
It is undeniable that the issue of whether ink is completely safe is still something worth questioning, researching, and confirming. The author understands that safe ink can also be referred to as environmentally friendly ink or "food-grade" ink. However, in most inkjet printer user manuals and related materials, it is mentioned that the ink is a volatile flammable liquid that must be stored and handled according to local regulations, and operations should be conducted in well-ventilated areas. These descriptions indicate that the ink is polluting and hazardous. Ink itself is usually divided into three categories: water-based, alcohol-based, and ketone-based. Water-based ink evaporates relatively slowly, alcohol-based ink causes less pollution, while ketone-based ink, although having high adhesion and evaporating quickly, is highly polluting. Ketone-based ink is used to some extent because, in real production, customers also require it to dry quickly, adhere well, and produce clear text.
After accumulating practical experience over time, colleagues in the inkjet coding industry soon noticed this issue and were committed to developing "food-grade" safe ink suitable for eggs and other foods, guaranteeing its safety in promotional introductions.
Then, who will act as an impartial third party to prove its safety? Moreover, safety is not absolute but relative. What is this relative standard?
Aiming for national and even global ink standards
Pollution of ink is absolute, while standards are relative. If the pollution value is controlled within a relative range through human intervention, then the ink is considered safe. However, before the standard is determined and issued, it is difficult to accurately judge whether the ink is safe or not. The author believes that, considering the current status of China's inkjet coding industry comprehensively, we need a standard for ink safety, and this standard should have a certain level of enforceability.
Firstly, uncertain safe ink refers to the possibility of secondary contamination of food, beverages, medicines, etc., due to infiltration into packaging materials. This is one of the issues that the standard should pay attention to. At this point, we need relative data to accurately determine its safety. This benchmark is not only what inkjet printer manufacturers and ink producers need to understand and comply with in detail, but also what their direct customers, i.e., food manufacturing enterprises, should be familiar with.
Secondly, as mentioned earlier, this safety is relative rather than absolute. Therefore, in addition to handling the safety data of the ink, the scope of application of the safety standard also needs to be clarified. For example, outer packaging boxes and beer bottles do not need too stringent requirements for the safety of their inkjet ink; their safety requirements for inkjet ink are far less strict than those for eggs and other food products.
Furthermore, the ink delivery system and nozzles of inkjet printers cannot be overlooked. After the ink is added, it passes through the ink supply system of the inkjet printer and is finally sprayed out by the nozzle. Therefore, we must ensure that these accessories, once installed, also meet "food-grade" standards. Similarly, maintenance filters and operational norms during equipment repairs must reach the process level of food factories.
Finally, there needs to be a supervisory body and mechanism to effectively play a supervisory role. How many people in our industry have carefully studied and understood the differences and regulations regarding inkjet ink in the European Union? In some international standards, such as EUPIA (European Printing Ink Association) and CEPE (European Coatings, Inks, and Pigments Industry Council), strict regulations are set for inkjet ink in food labeling. As insightful individuals in the inkjet coding industry, our vision should not be limited to China alone. To go further, our technology will inevitably be scrutinized worldwide. Why don't we take the first step, establish our own standards, and strictly implement them, winning world recognition with perfect mature technology?
In today's rapidly developing inkjet coding industry, the introduction of a nationwide and even global ink safety standard suitable for us has become necessary. In this young industry, more details will be improved through our exploration, and details will pave the way for broader development in the inkjet coding industry.