Recycling association, non-governmental organization, and European Commission comment on ways to safely minimize and manage substances of concern in recycling streams during transition to circular economy; Dutch national institute publishes report identifying challenges and recommendations, describes 2050 national goal
BEUC, CHEM Trust call for reformed EU FCM regulations
European Consumer Organization (BEUC) publishes position paper on current EU food contact material (FCM) regulation, calls for answers to known deficiencies, harmonized regulation; CHEM Trust letter to European Commissioner for Health outlines concerns, recommends following five key principles
EU surveys consumers on nanotechnology
European Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) publishes survey that reveals 87% of consumers from five EU countries wish for better labelling of everyday products containing nanotechnology
Standardizing Benchmark Dose (BMD) calculations
New study assesses reliability of standardized Benchmark Dose calculations, more dose groups and lower number of animals make for better BMD model
Phthalates found in diverse array of foods, from coffee to baby formula
Systematic review summarizes phthalate occurrence in different foods, discusses sources, and potential risk; researchers assess how coffee packaging and brewing method affects bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and di-butyl phthalate (DBP) levels in coffee; perform targeted analysis of 245 plastic additives in baby foods; report widespread contamination including a median of 46.1 ng phthalate esters per gram baby food
Cut-off values for data on chemicals in food
EFSA publishes step-wise approach to selecting cut-off values for non-quantified/non-detected data to reduce uncertainty in dietary exposure assessments
Experts call for ban of new biodegradability promoting additives
Food packaging experts call for banning a new group of biodegradability promoting additives used in food packaging, cite concerns over uncontrollable degradation, migration of and human exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals; finds them distracting from real solutions such as new business models incorporating reuse
EFSA: Scientific opinion on FCMs
EFSA’s CEF Panel publishes scientific opinion on safety assessment of FCMs, including technical report on the public consultation; recommends migration testing of finished FCMs and revisiting consumer exposure as well as requirements for toxicity data
EU project on food packaging safety successfully concluded
SAFEMTECH project presented its achievements, new active packaging developed available on the market
EU Enforcement Action Plan on bamboo additives in plastic FCMs
European Commission and EU Member States agree to launch an EU Enforcement Action Plan on bamboo powder-containing plastic food contact materials (FCMs) to ensure that bamboo and other illegal plant-based additives are not marketed in the EU