Safety and hygiene management in manufacturing packaging materials

The importance of hygiene and microbial management in paper and packaging industry has increased considerably as a result of the changes in legislation, tighter international competition and increasing customer requirements. Microbial risk management in paper and packaging industry is performed mostly through Good Manufacturing Practices and by building up an hygiene and safety management system (own-checking system or HACCP-program) which is recommended to be based on HACCP concept. Good manufacturing practices form the foundation upon which a hygiene and safety management system can be build. Microbial management is divided to two main strategies: to prevent the entrance of microbes to production premises and to eliminate microbes from production facilities if they have entered the premises. As sterile conditions are impossible the preventive actions should be focused so that the restriction of microbes is in economically and operationally reasonable frame. The control of microbial growth at paper machine environment is traditionally based on the use of biocides. However today the focus is more in the combined use of several control methods. The extreme importance of good housekeeping in successful microbial management has been emphasised.