New Berry testing lab aims to speed up packaging development

Berry has established an in-house material testing laboratory to provide customers with fast and reliable assessment and quality testing of raw materials for new food packaging solutions

The laboratory, which is accredited for the chemical testing and sampling of plastic products, will help to speed up new product development projects, ensuring the compatibility of materials for each application and that they meet appropriate requirements and regulations.

Situated at the Berry factory in Lubień, Poland and offering services to Berry customers globally, the new laboratory is staffed by scientists, compliance specialists and technicians, who can help customers make informed decisions more quickly.

"As raw material compositions get increasingly complex and we use more recycled materials for food packaging, efficient testing on time becomes even more vital than before," explained Josef Björck, COO of Berry Superfos. "Our investment in the inhouse laboratory will enable our customers to get faster raw material testing to facilitate swift product development. Further, by obtaining an accreditation, we can document to our customers that all tests are carried out according to international standards."

The laboratory currently offers seven different accredited testing methods and is capable of performing product and material tests of overall migration in water-based simulants as well as in olive oil by filling or immersion. Future plans include the doubling of its capacity for testing overall migration and for developing methodologies for specific migration.

"Thanks to the laboratory's expertise, we can now offer our customers accurate testing of raw materials for food product packaging as an integrated part of the development process" said Michał Kamiński, Divisional Regulatory Compliance Manager. "This gives them quicker lead times in new product development. According to the needs of individual customers, we can even establish and maintain customer-tailored testing plans. And in case of claims related to food safety, we can make initial assessments much faster than previously."

This article was originally published by Berry Global.