All You Need to Know About Food Safe Packaging Adhesives

Bypeter John

Increasing food safety awareness is a global matter. That is why there should be transparency in food production and packaging. The subject includes the matter of adhesives in food packaging. If you want to understand more about food-grade adhesives, let’s look at the facts.

Water-based Adhesives

These adhesives are also known as white or liquid glues. They have a wide variety of uses. Water-based adhesives are safe, non-toxic, and recyclable. Food packaging adhesives such as these are also easy to work with. You can use them on foil, paper, or wood.

Water-based adhesives form adhesion by losing water through substrate absorption or evaporation. Porous substrates contribute to this bonding process. The versatility of this type of glue for food packaging can apply to wood bonding, carton sealing, or laminating. Examples of these adhesives are PVA (polyvinyl acetate), acrylic adhesives, VAE (vinyl acetate emulsion), and dextrin.

PVA is odourless, flexible, and colourless. You can use this on wood, paper or cloth. Acrylics have acrylic polymers or methacrylic. VAEs are food-grade adhesives that bond well with porous substances. They are water-resistant and flexible. Dextrin comes from starch. You can use this adhesive if you want to bond paper with paper.

Hot Melt Adhesives

You can get these adhesives in solid form. They go through intense heating until they reach their melting point. Then, manufacturers apply them to a substrate. Hot melt adhesives differ in textures and appearances. You do not need to dry them or sure them at all. They set right away as they cool and solidify.

The quick-drying trait of these adhesives makes them ideal for automated production lines. Tasks in food production vary, and they need different kinds of hot melt adhesives. Manufacturers use APAO (amorphous poly alpha-olefins) hot melts for specialty and automotive applications. EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) is an old technology for hot melt adhesives. These come at competitive prices.

You also have PSA (pressure-sensitive adhesives). These food packaging adhesives contain rubber-based technology. Manufacturers with custom applications, automotive assembly, and high-speed bottle labelling use PSA. Metallocene is the latest hot melt adhesive technology. It can provide manufacturers cold and heat resistance at the same time.

Custom Adhesives

Some manufacturers need specific types of adhesives. The reason behind this may have something to do with the kind of product that the company makes. For this type of product line, companies can work with adhesive makers to come up with a special adhesive formulation. With a custom adhesive, the product’s packaging can be secure and safe.

Maintain Superior Food Quality With the Right Glue for Food Packaging

Food manufacturers focus on the safety of their consumers. That is why the integrity of product packaging is crucial. High-quality packaging adhesives make sure that consumers get contaminant-free foods and beverages. For top-quality packaging sealants, we can provide whatever formulation you need. Our quality assurance team works hard to ensure the proper formulation of our food-grade adhesives. Contact today for your safe food packaging needs.