Food Safety Modernization Act a game changer for packaging machinery design - PMMI
The sweeping law that came into force at the beginning of 2011 as a response to a succession of food recalls in the US has seen stringent regulations imposed on manufacturers in terms of documentation and safety.
The revamped regime means it is a “whole new design game” for US manufacturers of packaging machinery, the industry body’s vice president for tradeshows said from the show in Cologne held at the end of last month.
Issues such as the need to switch from galvanized to stainless steel and the incorporation of clean design principles are dominating conversations between consumer product goods manufacturers and packaging systems producers as never before – particularly in the bakery, snacks and beverage sectors, said Pittas.
Where sustainability was the hottest topic a few years ago, this how now been replaced by the implications of the FSMA, he added.
Pittas also previewed PMMI’s Pack Expo 2012. He forecast the fallout from the FSMA would continue to dominate industry debate at this year’s major US processing and packaging event being held in Chicago at the end of October.
