INDIA – Siegwerk, one of the world’s leading ink manufacturers, has launched its mineral oil free ink range ‘Vega’ in the Indian market during a virtual launch event to safeguard consumers’ health, making it the first company in India to do so.

Its Bhiwadi plant will be 100 percent mineral oil-free with effect from May 1, 2022.

The quality and safety regulators in India – Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have underscored the importance of packaging safety through the Food Safety and Standard (Packaging) Regulations, 2018 and its revisions.

According to Siegwerk, mineral oils as a huge group of chemicals have earned disrepute globally for their bad toxicological profile with several research studies confirming the migration of mineral oils into food.

The uptake of specific mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOHs) is seen as a potential health hazard, as some saturated mineral oils (MOSH) may accumulate in human tissue while some Aromatic Mineral oils (MOAH) may even cause cancer.

Ashish Pradhan, President, Siegwerk Asia unveiled the new line of mineral-oil free inks. The ink series consist of Vega Prorich, Vega Impression, Vega Nature LT, Vega Sprint, Vega Vibrant+ and Vega Prime ink lines. 

Ramakrishna Karanth, CEO, Siegwerk India sub-continent said in the past few years, scientific journals have published analyses on the hazardous effects of mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOHs) and saturated mineral oils in food packaging.

“With Vega, we set out on a journey to ensure safety of our supply chain partners as well as the end consumers.”

Ashesh Mukherjee, Vice President, Siegwerk India

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He noted that the multiple adverse effects make it an issue related to consumer safety and occupational safety.

“We at Siegwerk nurture an inflexible safety culture with focused commitment to improve end-consumer and environmental safety. As a market leader for safe inks and as a strong proponent of safety, we have proactively stopped the use of toxic ingredients before any legislations on their prohibition are established. Siegwerk India will henceforth be supplying inks that do not contain mineral oils from its blending centers in India,” he said. 

On the words of Ashesh Mukherjee, Vice President and Business Head, Sheetfed Business, Siegwerk India, the Vega line is the brainchild of Siegwerk’s key principles like innovation, safety and ability to offer superior products and services.

“Vega embodies rich color strength, excellent printing quality with dot sharpness, brighter color share and high gloss and excellent drying properties, all set to transcend consumer expectations. With Vega, we set out on a journey to ensure safety of our supply chain partners as well as the end consumers,” he said.

Siegwerk claims to be an advocate of non-toxic inks with uncompromised commitment towards product safety prior to any such legislations. 

The new line was launched in response to a growing demand for transparency and safer ingredients in packaging products. Siegwerk says it pledges its alliance to safe inks, discarding hazardous solvents like mineral oils and toluene, according to labels & labeling.

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