South Korean Ministry of Environment announces disposable cups from chain cafes and fast-food restaurants will have 300 KRW deposit beginning June 10, 2022; applies to chains with more than 100 branches, 38,000 stores total; plan includes production standards for plastic and paper cups to ensure recyclability; part of South Korea’s 2050 carbon neutrality goal
Bamboo in plastic FCMs not authorized in the EU
European Commission’s Working Group concludes that bamboo-based additives are not authorized per se for use in plastic food contact materials in the EU; business operators to explicitly demonstrate safety by migration testing; migration of melamine, formaldehyde of high concern; additional concerns about misleading labeling and advertising
Paper straws not safer than plastic straws, scientists find
Study analyzes non-volatile compounds migrating from nine different printed and non-printed paper straws into soda; identifies 19 chemicals in concentrations up to 3.6 mg/kg soda; chemicals include suspected carcinogen and endocrine disruptors; findings suggest paper straws are not a safer alternative to plastic straws
Scientists emphasize importance for LCAs to consider plastic particle impacts
Review provides understanding of how knowledge gaps on long-term plastic particle fate affect life-cycle assessments (LCAs) and distort policy decisions; exemplifies discussion comparing a fossil-based with a biodegradable plastic; highlights importance of covering plastic particle impacts and its unknowns transparently in LCAs to allow reliable material comparisons and responsible decision making
FDA adds 18 new substances to FCS inventory
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adds 18 new entries to its Inventory of Effective Food Contact Substances (FCS)
FPF comment: US EPA expansion of Safer Choice program
Food Packaging Forum (FPF) submits comment to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the potential expansion of the agency’s Safer Choice and Design for Environment programs into new sectors; FPF encourages EPA to consider food contact materials; shares resources about chemicals of concern in food contact
EU Commission’s draft regulation on transparency in risk assessment
EU Commission proposes regulation to improve transparency and sustainability in risk assessment of food safety in the EU; feedback accepted until June 8, 2018
EFSA seeks comments on chemical mixtures research and prioritization
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announces public consultation period concerning draft on “scientific criteria for grouping chemicals into assessment groups for human risk assessment” of chemical mixtures; particular focus on chemicals related to food and feed safety; seeking feedback from experts in chemical risk assessment, organizations and people in the field of chemicals mixtures and food safety; comment period ends July 10, 2021
Hazardous chemicals in European products: new SCIP database
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) launches database of all notifications from EU companies of products containing Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs); contains over 4 million article notifications from 6000 companies; includes articles such as food processors; Swedish Chemicals Agency launches pilot project to identify potentially hazardous chemicals early in product design process
Study finds plant-based straws containing PFAS
Article published in peer-reviewed journal Chemosphere analyzes biodegradable paper straws for presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); tests 38 products, finds PFAS in 36, most frequently detects perfluorobutanoic acid, perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorohexanoic acid; challenges claim of biodegradability of plant-based straws