Continuing our series on navigating ink-related food safety standards
We’re publishing dedicated blogs that explore each standard and explain how our ink management solutions can help you comply with them. See our previous blogs on housekeeping and cleaning, hazard analysis and risk management, record keeping, traceability, equipment maintenance, housekeeping and cleaning, waste and waste disposal, good manufacturing practices and calibration.
This is a blog about the ninth standard, purchasing and managing incoming goods.
Inks and additives are critical components in packaging production – and when it comes to food safety, how you source, receive, and manage these materials matters. In this blog, we explore the food safety requirements for purchasing and incoming goods under the GFSI-recognized standards. We’ll also show how GSE’s software solutions help ensure full compliance, from approved supplier management to proofing and inventory control.
Incoming goods requirements in the three food safety management schemes
The criteria for purchasing and incoming goods can be found in:
- Sections 3.7, 3.9 and 5.8 of the BRC Global Standard (BRCGS) for Packaging Materials
- Section 2.6 of FSSC 22000 (Food Safety System Certification)
- Section 2.3 of Safe Quality Food (SQF)
To ensure accurate and reliable monitoring of food safety and regulatory compliance, all three standards require the following key actions:
Approved suppliers for inks
Ink suppliers must be selected, approved, and monitored through a documented, risk-based procedure. This includes maintaining current records, evaluating supplier performance, and verifying compliance with agreed specifications and food safety requirements. Supplier audits must be conducted by trained personnel, with frequency based on risk, to ensure inks meet all safety and regulatory standards.
Outsourced activities: managing “inplants”
At large packaging printing sites, ink suppliers are often contracted to install a dedicated ink kitchen, known as an ‘inplant’, to manage on-site ink processes. However, this arrangement can impact food safety: these outsourced activities must be sourced from approved contractors, documented with identification, and regularly monitored. Service descriptions, including training needs, must be up-to-date. Agreements with such inplant providers must clearly define food safety and product requirements, with risk assessments in place to ensure compliance with GFSI requirements and customer expectations.
Verification of inks
Inks and additives must be verified to confirm they do not compromise food safety and are suitable for their intended use. This verification should ensure compliance with food safety specifications and may involve a letter of guarantee, certificate of conformance, certificate of analysis, inspection, sampling, or testing.
Intake procedures
Specifications must be available for all inks and must be kept up to date.
The site must have a clear procedure for receiving inks and additives, to ensure they are safe and meet purchase and product specifications. This can be supported by documents such as:
- Purchase orders
- Delivery notes
All incoming deliveries must be checked on arrival to ensure they are not damaged, contaminated or infested, and are in good condition.
Receiving documents or product labels should help ensure correct stock rotation and, where needed, that materials are used in the right order and within their shelf life.
Bulk unloading areas must be clearly marked and organized to prevent mix-ups.
All raw materials and intermediate products must be checked and approved before being used in production.
Proofing
Before inks are used in production, proofing is essential to ensure that the final print meets both customer and food safety requirements. The site must have a procedure for customer approval of artwork and print samples, including how changes are managed.
GSE software for complying with purchasing and proofing requirements
Our specialized software module, GSE Advanced logistics, enables packaging printers to manage ink stocks in a way that supports GFSI compliance.
The purchasing feature serves as a flexible vendor management tool, enabling the creation of approved suppliers’ profiles, with customizable ordering parameters. Each profile stores essential contact details and links base ink orders to the corresponding manufacturer. With these parameters in place, the software streamlines three critical stages of ink logistics:
- Creating purchase orders
- Booking-in base inks upon delivery
- Connecting base inks to the ink dispenser
These processes are outlined in detail in previous InkConnection blogs:
- How to keep ink inventories for spot colours at optimum levels
- Logging ink consumption and exchanging barrels at the dispenser
Each incoming barrel is logged individually, with a unique identification number generated by the software. The expiry date is either scanned or entered manually, then printed on the barrel’s inventory label. This system ensures inks are traceable, used in the correct order, and within their shelf life.
To meet proofing requirements, printers can use a tabletop proofer, spectrophotometer, and ink formulation software, in combination with GSE Colour connect for seamless integration and compliance.
Matthias Haidt, solution architect, X-rite, explains how to automatically measure colour, generate recipes, make corrections and export that data to the ink dispenser, with a spectrophotometer and software.
Ensuring compliance from purchase to press
Managing the purchasing and intake of inks is a critical step in achieving food safety compliance in packaging printing. By selecting approved suppliers, validating incoming goods, and overseeing outsourced inplant operations, printers can meet the strict requirements of GFSI-recognized schemes like BRCGS, SQF, and FSSC 22000. GSE’s Advanced logistics and Colour connect software offer a structured, traceable approach, from order placement and barrel intake to proofing and final approval – ensuring inks are safe, compliant, and ready for production. With the right systems in place, maintaining control and confidence in your ink supply chain becomes straightforward and efficient.
Further reading on the InkConnection blogsite
Need help meeting ink safety standards?
If you are looking to simplify compliance with food safety regulations in your ink logistics process, we are here to help. Contact us at info@gsedispensing.com to learn how GSE’s software solutions can support your packaging operation – from supplier management to proofing and traceability.
