Recycling processes used to produce cardboard packaging have come under the spotlight, after research raised concerns about the presence of toxic oils.
German and Swiss researchers have conducted extensive tests on supermarket products stored in cardboard packaging.
The BBC notes that mineral oils were found to pass easily through the inner bags used to keep products such as cereal dry and fresh.
Speaking to the broadcaster, Zurich-based lead researcher Dr Koni Grob said: "Roughly 30 products from these 119 were free of mineral oil.
"For the others they all exceeded the limit, and most exceeded it more than ten times, and we calculated that in the long run they would probably exceed the limit 50 times on average."
Manufacturers are only responsible for the ensuring that packaging is safe for its immediately intended purpose.
The Food Standards Agency notes that consumer misuse and re-use of packaging can often cause the release of harmful chemicals into food, such as by storing alternative food stuffs or heating plastics in a microwave.
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the cardboard recycling industry includes; Elevators – bucket elevators – valves
