Following World Food Safety Day on June 7, Metsä Board highlighted how food safety is built into paperboard production through controlled processes, certified systems and carefully selected raw materials at the mill.
“Ensuring food safety is always a fundamental part of our production. It is embedded in our daily operations, underpinning consistently high standards and never compromised,” said Laura Remes, Senior Vice President, Production & Supply Chain at Metsä Board.
The Role of Packaging in Food Safety
While food safety is often associated with food processing and handling, packaging also plays a critical role in protecting products throughout their lifecycle. From production and transport to retail and consumption, paperboard packaging helps prevent contamination, preserve freshness and maintain product quality.
Food-safe paperboard is designed for direct or indirect food contact using approved raw materials and tightly controlled manufacturing processes. Compliance with food contact regulations is supported by certified management systems and continuous quality monitoring.
Certified Processes and Traceability
Metsä Board’s approach is built on internationally recognized standards, including FSSC 22000 and ISO 22000, which guide food safety and quality management across its mills. These systems support consistent production practices, documentation and risk management.
A key element is full traceability across the value chain. By sourcing fresh wood fibres from controlled and documented origins, the company maintains transparency from forest to finished product. This traceability supports both regulatory compliance and customer confidence in food-contact applications.
From Raw Materials to Finished Board
Food safety controls are integrated throughout the production process. According to Metsä Board, this includes carefully selected raw materials, hygienic manufacturing environments, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), comprehensive traceability systems and ongoing quality assurance activities.
Because the company manages the value chain from forest to finished paperboard, it maintains direct oversight of the materials used in products intended for food packaging. This approach helps ensure compliance with food-contact requirements and customer specifications.
Supporting Safer Food Systems
As global attention on food safety continues to grow, the role of packaging materials is becoming increasingly important. High-quality paperboard not only protects food from contamination but can also help reduce waste, extend shelf life and support safe interaction between packaging and its contents.
The company says embedding food safety at the mill level helps ensure its paperboard products meet the requirements of food manufacturers and brand owners seeking reliable and sustainable packaging solutions.
Metsä Board is a leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards, including folding boxboards, food service boards and white kraftliners. The company is part of Metsä Group, which is owned by approximately 90,000 Finnish forest owners.
