GMP FEFCO Standard

The GMP FEFCO Standard

The GMP FEFCO standard covers corrugated board packaging. Packaging contamination or poor packaging design can affect food safety by failing to protect the product. For this reason, the GMP FEFCO standard guides packaging and packaging-material manufacturers on safety and quality so that the food products they package remain wholesome and secure. The packaging sector also has thorough standards covering product safety and hygiene across the industry.

The GMP FEFCO standard (FEFCO, the European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers) covers the manufacture of corrugated cardboard packaging so that the legal requirements for materials and goods in contact with food are met under EU regulation.

Who the Standard Covers

Food packaging manufacturers are part of the food chain and have a material impact on food safety. The GMP FEFCO standard is available to manufacturers that want to take responsibility through a technically recognised food safety management framework. The standard addresses the status-review requirements of packaging manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and fillers.

Relationship to BRC and HACCP

Packaging and packaging-material producers apply BRC Global Standards, HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), and the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) principles that the food industry applies in this sector. GMP FEFCO was developed by European corrugated-board manufacturers to secure food safety, in combination with the BRC packaging and packaging-materials Global Standard, which was developed by UK retailers in cooperation with the packaging institute. Corrugated-board packaging and packaging-material manufacturers require the GMP FEFCO standard.

Scope of the Standard

The GMP FEFCO scope covers raw-material control, production environment, equipment hygiene, staff hygiene, storage, and dispatch conditions. It addresses the points where cross-contamination risk is highest in corrugated-board processing, including the control of inks, glues, and coatings that come into direct or indirect contact with food.

Benefits of Certification

Certification against GMP FEFCO helps corrugated-board manufacturers document their food-safety posture to food-sector customers, support applications into export markets where food-contact packaging is regulated, and bring hygiene practices into line with recognised EU-level requirements. It also supports alignment with wider food-chain schemes such as BRC and FSSC 22000 that customers often ask for.

Sistem Patent Kalite Support

To obtain information on GMP FEFCO or to begin a certification project, contact Sistem Patent Kalite certification and testing consultancy. Our specialists will scope the gap analysis, documentation review, and preparation for the certification audit against the current version of the standard.