Siegwerk is preparing customers for the upcoming enforcement of the German Printing Ink Ordinance (GIO) by adapting its portfolio to meet the regulation’s requirements for food packaging applications.

Although enforcement of the GIO has been postponed to January 2027, the company reports that it already offers compliant solutions for selected food packaging applications, reinforcing its focus on product safety and regulatory readiness.

Designed to strengthen consumer protection, the German Printing Ink Ordinance limits the migration of potentially hazardous substances from printed packaging into food. Despite its name, the regulation applies not only to printing inks but to all printed food-contact materials where substance transfer from the printed layer to food cannot be ruled out — broadening its impact across labels and packaging formats.

To support converters navigating the transition, Siegwerk is reformulating relevant inks, coatings, and varnishes to meet GIO standards. Among the products positioned for compliance are the UV flexo ink series Sicura Nutriflex 10 and the dual-cure Sicura Nutriflex LEDTec and Sicura Nutriflex Orbis Dual Cure systems, which can be cured using both LED-UV and mercury UV lamps. These low-migration ink series are engineered for inline label and packaging presses across a range of substrates and are designed to support the production of GIO-compliant primary food packaging.

The portfolio also includes Sicura Nutriflex overprint varnishes (OPVs), formulated for sensitive packaging applications requiring low-migration performance.

“All in all, the GIO is more comprehensive and restrictive than other existing regulations, including the Swiss Printing Ink Ordinance,” says Guido Lander, vice president Narrow Web EMEA at Siegwerk. “It definitely has the potential to set a new benchmark for the packaging and label printing industry and will most likely influence global standards in the coming years.”

For label converters, the regulation represents another step toward tighter compliance oversight in food-contact applications. Early alignment with GIO requirements may help minimize reformulation disruptions and qualification delays as enforcement approaches.

Siegwerk says it will continue enhancing its formulations with respect to safety, health, and environmental standards to support customers seeking compliant and future-ready packaging solutions.