synthetic food labels withstand extreme conditionsa synthetic paper, approved for use as labels in direct contact with food, offers producers and packagers quality printing while withstanding extreme conditions, its manufacturer claims.producers and packagers of food subjected to tough environments, such as frozen turkeys, are constantly looking for packaging alternatives that offer durability with improved presentation of products. valron strength films vmax, made from recyclable high density polyethylene hdpe, is uv resistant to prevent fading with outdoor use and can be used for product identification and inventory tags in temperatures between 70f 57c and 220f 104c, the manufacturer claims. the manufacturer claims the vmax can be perforated, stapled and sewn, but resists tearing. the paper can be die cut, and because it is not mineralfilled, it does not fray like other synthetic products.vmax coated and uncoated grades are food and drug administration fda approved for use as tag and label applications that have direct contact with dry cereals, aqueous and fatty foods categories, including acidic foods.  efsa gives the nod to 10 more packaging chemicalsthe european food safety authority efsa has issued positive scientific opinions on another batch of 10 packaging substances, part of an euwide effort to prevent the chemicals from contaminating foods. the opinions mark the 13th batch of food contact materials efsas scientific panel has evaluated for their potential effects on human health. the panel evaluated scientific studies on the chemicals, which were submitted for consideration by food packagers. eu legislation requires that all materials that come into contact with food comply with health standards so that safe food remains safe. the main problem stems from chemicals that can migrate from the packaging to the foods they contain. before a substance is authorised to be used in food contact materials and is included in a positive list of such substances, efsas opinion on its safety is required. in its latest scientific opinion, efsa evaluated 10 chemicals. two of them, isophthalic acid dichloride and 9,10dihydroxy stearic acid and its oligomers, were restricted to a migration level of 5 mgkg in food. vinyltriethoxysilane was restricted to a 0.05 mgkg migration limit in food and can only be used as a surface treatment agent on packaging. rfid analyst forecasts cheap itemlevel tags by 2016the tagging of items with radio frequency identification rfid will take off in 2007 to become the biggest market by value by 2016 as prices fall dramatically, according to a forecast by a market analyst.rfid has long been touted as the future of logistics for all companies by allowing retailers and suppliers to track goods throughout the supply chain. regulations on traceability and mandates from such giant retailers as walmart and metro are slowing forcing processors to make investments in the technology at the pallet and case level. high prices for tags and systems has been the major barrier to itemlevel use. itemlevel tagging refers to the use of the technology with the smallest unit of saleable goods, such as luxury foods and drinks. idtechex said its research indicates that item level tags and systems will be the worlds largest rfid market by value from 2007 onwards. item level rfid tagging will rocket to 13 billion in 2016 from 0.16 billion in 2006 for systems including tags. in 2006, about 200 million items were rfid tagged around the world. the firm predicts that 550 billion items may be rfid tagged in 2016.  rfid chip in plastic wrapping keeps an eye on tamperinga new radio frequency identification rfid chip has been developed by pliant and ibm that can not only track drug products through the supply chain but also identify when a product has been tampered with.usbased leading packaging manufacturer pliant has teamed up with ibm to develop the tamper detection technology on a pilotscale. the technology combines plastic packaging film, circuitry and rfid tag to track down where in the supply chain a package has been interfered with. the smart technology market is driven by the need for new clinical trial compliance and brand protection measures, with the demand for new developments within rfid used in pharmaceuticals creating a market valued at 18 million during 2005. and it will potentially reach to 464.8 million in 2012, according to a frost & sullivan report.  prewash system improves bottle cleaninga prewash system significantly improves the cleaning performance of bottle washers, its manufacturer claims.bottle washers are one of the most costintensive pieces of equipment in a line, and so their resistance to malfunctions and their efficiency are vital considerations for plant managers. a line processing 60,000 bottles an hour, with 1 g of dirt per bottle will produce 60 kg an hour, which with a weekly constant running time of 150 hours adds up to nine tonnes. krones, based in germany, has developed a new presoak concept, which the company says can clean a high volume of returnable bottles. the debris can consist of sand, beverage residues, crowns, cigarette ends, glass fragments and bits of dress. mechanical systems, such as sievingconveyor removal systems or rotating cullet scrapers, are susceptible to malfunctions and are difficult to clean and maintain, claims krones. krones presoak system uses hydraulics to operate a propeller pump with a recirculation rating of about 500 cubic meters per hour ensures a flow across the machine. krones claims this system is more efficient and reliable than competing products. the recirculated flow is taken from the filtered side of a small label removal unit, pumped through a pipe extending over the width of the machine, and then fed back into the machine again. this flow energy is sufficient to convey all the dirt and dress residues through the presoak channel into the sieve case, the company claims.   new members          pee tee engineers          aarem engineering          creative packaging  concepts          glory polyfilms ltd          safire lithographers offers          jute bags, jamaica           paper bags, korea          pet flakes, romania          cling film for foods wrapping          pp films more details at www.packagingconnections.com home pageevents          feb. 1315 anaheim westpack 2007, packaging technologies exhibition by canon communications llc. concurrently with md&m west, pacific design & manufacturing, plastec west, electronics west, and automation technology expo west. all at anaheim convention center. to register, go to www.devicelink.com.    feb. 2527      tampa charting the course, annual     automatic identification showcase of aim global. at renaissance international plaza. contact diana bowser at 7249344470 march 56 montreal corrugatedthe whole package strategies for competing globally, annual conference and trade fair of the canadian corrugated case association ccca. at hilton bonaventure. contact ccca at 4165909471 march 78label summit india, new delhilabel summit india 2007 is the only twoday conference and tabletop exhibition exploring the many opportunities for your business in the indian and global label industryhttpindia.labelsummit.com. march 89 new orleans healthpack 2007, conference and tabletop exhibition for medical device professionals. at astor crowne plaza. to register, visit www.healthpack.net. important emails press@packagingconnections.com   jobs@packagingconnections.com  offers@packagingconnections.com   info@packagingconnections.com   happy packaging sandeep goyal, the editorwww.packagingconnections.com