Sappi North America Inc., a leading producer and supplier of diversified graphic and release papers, packaging products and dissolving wood pulp, announced that its Somerset Mill in Skowhegan, Maine, is certified to the ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management System standard. Sappi is considered a Tier 3 supplier in the food supply chain and this new certification applies to all products produced at the mill.

“With this certification we are now able to provide our customers in the food packaging industry with assurance out of the gate that our products meet the strict industry standards for safety,” said Heather Pelletier, Director of Packaging Brands, Sappi North America. “We continue to invest in and improve our mills to make sure our products meet our customers’ needs. This is an important next step in our journey as we continue to set the new standard for paperboard packaging.”

In 2018, Sappi completed a substantial rebuild of Paper Machine 1 at its Somerset Mill. Following the rebuild, the company is now producing a range of paperboard packaging grades, including products for food end uses. Proto C1S is a sturdy, single-ply SBS capable of meeting a breadth of applications with substantial feel at a lighter weight. Proto Litho brings all the benefits of Proto to meet corrugated litho lamination packaging needs. Spectro is a single-ply SBS with enhanced optics, making it ideal for premium applications that call for dynamic and vibrant images. On other machines at the Somerset Mill, Sappi produces its LusterPrint and LusterCote packaging grades; its Opus, Somerset and Flo graphics papers; as well as its Somerset Synergy ECF premium kraft pulp.

In order to meet the requirements of the ISO 22000:2018 FSMS, Sappi evaluated the production, storage and transportation processes for potential hazards and implemented monitoring and control systems to prevent product contamination.

As part of building the food safety management system, Sappi also followed the guidelines provided in the technical specification ISO/TS 22002-4:2013, Prerequisite Programmes on Food Safety - Part 4: Food packaging manufacturing. As an upstream provider of substrates to packaging converters, this technical specification provides the best operating floor systems guidance for a substrate supplier.