<p><br /> Food manufacturers have been urged to re-consider their packaging methods for products such as breakfast cereal, after researchers in Switzerland raised concerns about the possible health risks of recycled cardboard.<br /> </p><p><br /> The Food Safety Laboratory in Zurich found that mineral oils in printing ink from recycled newspapers used in cardboard can get into foods such as cereal, pasta and rice - even passing through protective inner plastic bags.<br /> </p><p><br /> Spokesman Koni Grob said toxicologists had linked the oils to inflammation of internal organs and even cancer, though he stressed that individual meals would contain only a tiny dose of the chemicals.<br /> </p><p><br /> He said switching to non-recycled packaging was too costly in terms of the environment and new solutions needed to be considered such as inner food linings which act as effective barriers to the oils.<br /> </p><p><br /> He stressed that research had found products such as paper and bags made of polyethylene and polypropylene are ineffective as a barrier from mineral oils although aluminium foil was effective.<br /> </p>
