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EC sets limit on MOAH in foods

European Commission sets recommended limits on mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbon (MOAH) contamination in food, effective immediately; Limits not currently binding, up to Member States to enforce; action follows December 2021 civil society investigation into levels of MOAH in foods on the European market

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Third round of UN plastics treaty negotiations conclude

Meeting in Nairobi ends with no consensus on intersessional work needed before next meeting; Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty represented by 37 scientists, including team members from the Food Packaging Forum; expanded and revised version of Zero Draft based on member state inputs to be published by December 31, 2023; next round of negotiations to take place in Ottawa, Canada on April 21 – 30, 2024

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Report on residential access to recycling in the US

Sustainable Packaging Coalition publishes updated report on the availability of residential recycling in the United States for 32 types of packaging materials; steel food cans, aluminum beverage cans, corrugated cardboard, paperboard, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles accepted by > 84% of facilities surveyed; foil and rigid polystyrene (PS) had fewest recycling options; access to recycling declined since 2016

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Wrap: packaging encourages household food waste

UK civil society organization Wrap finds selling produce without plastic packaging and date labels would save 100,000 tons food and 10,300 tons plastic in UK yearly; fruits and vegetables studied have the same shelf life without packaging; packaging sizes encourage overconsumption; date labeling encourages early disposal; Foodwatch petitions German government to ban plastic packaging for produce by 2026

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Microplastics impacts on the reproductive system and offspring

Scientists report human-relevant polystyrene (PS) microplastic concentrations change mice placental metabolism; show nanoplastics have variable effects on placental enzymes using simulations; find pre- and postnatal PS microplastic exposure affects male mice testis development and fertility; recommend future research to analyze multigenerational effects

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Ukraine aligning FCM regulations with EU

Ukraine’s Ministry of Health notifies World Trade Organization of a draft restriction on vinyl chloride in contact with food; restriction aligns with a 1978 European Council declaration on vinyl chloride in food contact materials (FCMs); ministry announces other alignments including on migration of lead and cadmium from ceramic FCMs

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Updated draft of German mineral oil ordinance

German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture proposes requiring use of a functional barrier in food contact materials containing recycled paper; exemptions can be granted by demonstrating migration below 0.5 mg MOAH/kg food or 0.15 mg MOAH/kg food simulant; comments accepted until November 18, 2020