Plasticizers from printing inks in a selection of food packagings and their migration to food.

A survey of plasticizers in printing inks present in a selection of food packaging including confectionery, snacks, crisps, potatoes, chocolate bars and biscuits, has been carried out both in England and Spain. The identification of the polymer used as packaging showed that almost all of them were oriented polypropylene. Printing inks that are always used on the outer surface contain phthalates as major plasticizers, N-ethyl- and N-methyl-toluenesulphonamides and tris(2-ethylhexyl)trimellitate were found in some of the samples studied. Several food samples were also analysed to check the level of plasticizers migrating from printing inks.