Coop is the second-biggest food retail chain in Switzerland and publisher of the Coop Zeitung that is produced at several printing locations in Switzerland, including at the Die Zeitungsdrucker printing centre in Basel (Basler Zeitung). Printing tests using mineral oil-free inks were carried out there for the first time, the results of which were presented during a conference held in Basel on 14 November 2011. Users and Ugra (association for the promotion of scientific research in the graphics industry) attested to the good quality and unreserved suitability for use in practice of the inks developed by Stehlin-Hostag (Huber Group).
The background to the tests is the public discussion concerning possible health risks due to shares of mineral oil in newsinks contained in recycled board used for food packaging. Certain hydrocarbon compounds that concentrate in the organism and are suspected of being carcinogenic could transfer from the board to the food.
One of several approaches to a solution consist of eliminating the use of mineral oil-based inks in newspaper printing, though that would not really solve the problem because, besides newspapers, other sources exist that are responsible for the entry of mineral oil and toxic materials into the paper recycling process. Other approaches could be to use suitable inner bags to protect the filling from contact with the outer packaging, or to give the board a coating that would act as a barrier. Suitably coated types of board have already been developed and are scheduled to be ready for launching on to the market by the beginning of 2013.