Sun Chemical launches SunPack DirectFood Plus

SunPak DirectFood Plus offers greater color vibrancy and accuracy with a wider color space than its predecessor, SunPak Organic. It delivers lithographic stability on the same level as Sun Chemical’s standard low migration inks, such as SunPak FSP. 

The combination of SunPak DirectFood Plus and SunSpec SunStar DFC water-based barrier coatings now gives printers and brand owners the option to replace plastic barriers and inserts in paper packaging.

The development of this innovative technology, which allows for the safe, direct contact of inks with food on the inside of paper packaging, is a result of its ongoing partnership with German printing inks manufacturer Epple Druckfarben. In 2019, both companies combined their resources and manufactured BoFood Organic, available in Europe under the brand name SunPak Organic. 

Epple will sell the range under the name BoFood DFC and Sun Chemical under SunPak DirectFood Plus. 

‘Sun Chemical can see high value for our customers in working with Epple to develop a direct food contact ink series that covers the color spectrum,’ commented Nicolas Betin, director of product strategy for EMEA and global sustainability business leader at Sun Chemical. ‘These jointly developed pigmented sheetfed inks allow us to expand our portfolio and enable our customers to offer more recyclable packaging to brand owners. We are delighted to be collaborating with Epple to provide our customers in Europe with the most advanced DFC ink technology available under the SunPak DirectFood Plus brand name.’

Commenting on the collaboration, Stefan Schülling, board member at Epple Druckfarben, said: ‘We are excited to be expanding our existing relationship with Sun Chemical. The original BoFood Organic has been a unique innovation and we are extremely proud of creating a worldwide patented offset ink that has been approved for printing on the inside of food packaging. The new BoFood DFC range enables us to address even better customer demands for eye-catching, high-quality and food-safe packaging.’