Food packaging
A specific range of safe and sustainable adhesives for food industry packaging
A food packaging sticker must do three things at once: seal securely (no pop-opens in transit), withstand the environment for which the packaging is intended, and run at the speed of the line.
Determine the required set time and open time. High-cadence lines require fast set times and a consistent working window; Slow lines tolerate slower sets. The formulation must be combined with the production rate.
Paper and cardboard have different porosity indices; corrugated cardboard, painted, coated, waxed, or laminated substrates absorb and bind differently. The more the support is closed or treated, the more an adhesive with high wetting power is needed.
This is the most critical factor. Freezing (up to -18°C), cold chain (+4/-18°C), ambient temperature, hot/hot-packaged foods. Each thermal tape requires its own adhesive: flexible for cold environments, high-temperature for hot environments.
The sticker must comply with current legislation (FDA, BFR, MOCA, etc.): MB Adhesives stickers comply with the regulations for indirect contact (declaration available on request).
When it's convenient: the economic standard for closing cardboard cases, boxes and crates at room temperature. Good adhesion to paper and cardboard, fast setting, excellent performance/cost ratio.
Limitations: Traditional EVA has a narrower thermal window; for extreme temperatures, a dedicated formulation is required (MB lines are tested for cold crystallization).
EVA for ambient temperature →When it's convenient: fast lines, low-odor requirements, wide temperature range, and maximum fuser cleanliness. The reference choice for frozen foods, cold chain and hot foods, and for treated substrates.
Limitations: Higher unit cost than EVA, largely offset by lower application consumption and fewer machine downtimes.
See the metallocenes and APAO →When it's convenient: when sustainability counts. Hot melt based on plant-based raw materials, to reduce CO₂ emissions in the product and supply chain, without sacrificing sealing performance.
Limitations: Dedicated range; to be evaluated with the laboratory for combination with a specific line and support.
Discover the ZERØ line →FDA 21 CFR 175.105 — "Adhesives for indirect food contact": provides a functional barrier between adhesive and food; Any contact is limited to edges and joints according to good manufacturing practices.
Overall Migration Limits — 8 mg/dm² of surface (DM 21/03/73, art. 5); 60 mg/kg for plastic materials. Specific migration of vinyl acetate (ref. 10120): SML 12 mg/kg.
REACH (EC Regulation 1907/2006) — Product formulated in compliance with the REACH regulation, without the use of substances of very high concern (SVHC) as per the Candidate List ECHA.
The lines for food packaging are also formulated in the absence of:
No. They are formulated for secondary and external packaging (closing cases, boxes, crates, trays, wrap-arounds, bundles): they operate outside the primary packaging, in indirect contact, with low-migration formulations compliant with the MOCA framework.
EVA is the economical choice for standard room-temperature cardboard. Metallocene is suitable for fast lines, extreme temperature environments (cold/hot), treated substrates, and when fuser cleaning stops are an issue: clean fusers, low odor, a wide temperature range, and lower consumption make it worthwhile.
It melts very cleanly, with no strings, fumes, odors, or carbon residue, and offers high stability in the pot. This translates to fewer cleanings and purges, fewer downtimes, and longer nozzle and applicator life.
No. MB's food packaging lines are formulated without PFAS (PFOS and perfluorinated surfactants), phthalates, and adipates, as well as heavy metals, photoinitiators, and CMR substances, as certified by the Declaration of Conformity. The VOC content is negligible.
Speed determines the required set time and open time. Fast lines require a quick grip to avoid pop-opens; slow lines tolerate more gradual sets. The formulation must be calibrated to the actual production rate.
With a test. Tell our lab your media, machine type and speed, target thermal bandwidth, and compliance requirements: we'll identify and validate the formulation best suited to your process.
