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Enhanced package seal integrity is once again top-of-mind due to recent supply and demand challenges that include these six reasons:

Maintaining the integrity of package seals is a food quality and food safety issue. Quality control Standard Operating Procedures for measuring seals at production startups and shift changes are determined based on the required seal integrity, labor and sealing equipment variability, and package material consistency.

In terms of food safety, film-seal integrity is often an essential Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). For example, small leaks in the seal area can expose the product to cocci- (1 µm) or rod-shaped (0.5 µm x 10 µm) bacteria, and larger leaks can expose the product to contaminated water droplets that have a much larger order of magnitude than bacteria.

Six standard methods for testing seals can be modified to meet the needs of a specific package. These are…

Claire Sand, PhD, has 30+ years of experience in industry and academia. She's owner of Packaging Technology and Research and Gazelle Mobile Packaging and is an Adjunct Professor, CalPoly, Michigan State University, and the University of Minnesota. Her email is [email protected]

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