Metro Label earns PACsecure certification
By Canadian Packaging Staff
General HACCP Metro Label PAC - The Packaging Association PACsecureLabel manufacturer playing it safe with FOOD-CONTACT standards certification.
Toronto-based pressure-sensitive labeling manufacturer Metro Label Company Ltd. has become the first Canadian label company last month to achieve the PACsecure standards certification of PAC-The Packaging Association—developed as a voluntary set of safety standards for packaging materials that come into direct or indirect incidental contact with food-and-beverage products.
Designed to help packaging converters and producers to harmonize their safety procedures within the framework of the internationally-recognized HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) protocol widely embraced by the world’s leading food-and-beverage manufacturers, the voluntary the PACsecure certification program—developed with federal funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)—comprises five food standards covering 24 different packaging manufacturing processes for flexible and rigid plastics, paper, metal and glass packaging.
Since the launch of PACsecure certification in 2008, the program has certified 10 major packaging manufacturers across Canada, according to PAC president James Downham, with past recipients including such notable packaging suppliers as Layfield Packaging of Richmond, B.C., Atlantic Packaging of Toronto, Jones Packaging of London, Ont. and Farnell Packaging of Dartmouth, N.S.
According to Downham, the PACsecure standards were devised as a logical extension of HACCP scrutiny into the food-and-beverage manufacturers’ supplier base—training packaging companies to identify and eliminate any potential biological, chemical and physical hazards through preventative corrective actions, rather than via finished product inspection.
“Based on our knowledge, the new PACsecure standards are the most comprehensive food safety standards for packaging materials in the world,” says Downham, citing their recognition and informal validation by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) agencies of the United Nations.
“I congratulate and thank Metro Label for its considerable time and efforts invested to achieve this certification, which will provide the company with a significant competitive edge in attracting new clients in the food-and-beverage industries,” Downham states.
“The company’s commitment to product safety provides a compelling example of industry leadership and competitive foresight that I strongly urge other packaging product manufacturers in Canada to consider emulating as part of their future growth and marketing strategies,” Downham adds.
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