Board & Paper

OTG sets the highest standards in product safety with FOODBOARD®

Customer Stories

09/02/26

The Ostfriesische Tee Gesellschaft (OTG) is one of Europe’s leading tea suppliers and attaches great importance to product safety and sustainability. In recent years, OTG has converted a large part of its product range to the FOODBOARD® barrier material, which has proven to be the best option currently available for its tea products.

Tested quality

Since 2016, OTG has been relying on FOODBOARD® to protect its tea products from unintended substances such as mineral oils.

Oliver Kunder, Head of Quality Assurance and Sustainability at OTG, explains: “Our quality assurance begins at the source. We are in close contact with our raw material partners and work together to develop strategies to meet our high-quality standards. We use state-of-the-art technology in our laboratories. Our products only reach the market once they have met all our quality criteria without exception.”

Before switching to FOODBOARD®, the material was therefore extensively tested: Under strict safety precautions, the performance of FOODBOARD® was tested on OTG’s packaging lines over a period of 12 months, the stability of the packaging was tested in transport tests, and quarterly migration analyses were carried out. The results were consistently positive: FOODBOARD® proved to be reliable in all areas: The barrier board worked smoothly on the packaging lines, the packaging remained stable during transport tests and, most importantly, no aromatic hydrocarbons above a certain specified limit were found during the storage period of the tea.

In almost 120 years, OTG has developed a deep understanding of its customers’ needs and established itself as a leading supplier in the industry.

FOODBOARD® prevents migration and provides lasting protection

FOODBOARD® is a protected development by MM Board & Paper with an innovative barrier concept as its core component, which protects packaged food from defined unintended substances such as mineral oils. As a recycled cartonboard, FOODBOARD® is available with a brown reverse side (GT4) and a light reverse side (GT1).
“We opted for a recycled cartonboard with a barrier because it is a practical and environmentally friendly option. No plastic packaging or composite materials are required to prevent mineral oil migration. With FOODBOARD®, we can protect our products in cartonboard-based packaging. This supports a positive message and helps promote a functioning circular economy” says Annemarie Leniger, Managing Director of OTG. FOODBOARD® is a monomaterial, a pure cartonboard solution, not an extruded composite or laminated laminate, is fully recyclable and can therefore be disposed of in the wastepaper stream. FOODBOARD® also stands for end-to-end transparency in the supply chain: the FOODBOARD® app ensures complete traceability of the packaging throughout the entire production process.

The Meßmer, MILFORD and OnnO Behrends brands are packaged in FOODBOARD®.

The Ostfriesische Tee Gesellschaft (OTG) has been producing and distributing high-quality tea products since 1907 and today occupies a leading position in the European market with its well-known brands such as Meßmer, MILFORD, OnnO Behrends, and Yasashi. Based in northern Germany, this long-established company attaches great importance to quality and sustainable approaches.