It is an important requirement to protect consumer health against chemical risks from any packaging materials and materials that come into contact with foodstuffs. Therefore, the issue of migration in food packaging is extremely important. The relevant legal regulations contain provisions for migration. Two important communiqués were published by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock in 2013:

• Turkish Food Codex Communiqué on plastics and materials in contact with food (Communiqué no: 2013 / 34)
• Turkish Food Codex Communiqué on List of Similar Foods Used in Migration Test of Components of Plastic Materials and Materials in Contact with Food (Communiqué no: 2013 / 35)

The first communiqué regulates the principles to be followed in the production, processing and distribution stages of plastic materials and materials that come into contact with or are likely to come into contact with food. The second communiqué provides a list of food analogues used in the migration testing of components of plastics and materials in contact with food. Migration testing methods are also described in detail in these regulations.

Migration testing of food packaging companies is a legal requirement. In the laboratories, separate tests are made for aqueous, alcoholic, fatty and acidic foodstuffs. Separate tests are also performed for plastic, ceramic or metal packages.

Theoretically, migration is defined as the interaction of chemical substances used in the production of packaging material with the foodstuffs in which it comes into contact and under certain conditions. By certain conditions, we mean the factors affecting migration. These factors include the structure of the foodstuff, the contact time of the foodstuff with the packaging, the contact temperature and the amount of materials used in the production of the packaging.

Within the scope of package analysis in advanced laboratories, specific migration determination studies are carried out in plastic, ceramic and metal packages.