International negotiators prepare for first meeting to negotiate the UN treaty to end plastic pollution; scientists, civil society organizations, and governmental bodies publish reports proposing suggestions for what and how to negotiate; many reports support including controls on chemical additives as part of the treaty
REACH data compliance needs improvement
European Chemicals Agency publishes annual REACH evaluation report; results show many chemical registrations continue to be missing key data
EFSA working group on FCMs: 25th meeting
Updated meeting minutes of EFSA’s CEF Panel working group on FCMs now available online
Retailer removes unwanted chemicals from consumer products
U.S. retailer Target adopts new chemical strategy and policy, aims for full ingredient transparency; goal is to remove phthalates, parabens, formaldehyde, and nonylphenol ethoxylates from various products
U.S. bill to ban BPA in food packaging
U.S. Senator and Representatives introduce the “Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2016” calling for a ban on bisphenol A in food and beverage containers
EU environment committee adopts waste legislation
EU Parliament’s Environment Committee amends legislative package on waste management; sets 80% target for recycling and reusing packaging waste for 2030
Plenary meeting of EFSA Scientific Committee
81st plenary meeting of EFSA’s Scientific Committee is open for observers; registration ends October 25, 2016
Phthalates found in 'mac and cheese'
Phthalates found in 29 out of 30 tested U.S. cheese products; concentrations higher in processed compared to unprocessed cheeses; highest phthalate content found in powdered cheese from ‘mac and cheese’ ready meals
Mixed reactions as UN concludes fourth round of INC plastics treaty negotiations
Fourth round of negotiations for a new global instrument on plastic pollution took place in Ottawa, Canada from April 23 – 29, 2024; member states agree on intersessional work to be carried out on financial mechanisms and chemicals of concern ahead of upcoming final session; no agreement on reducing primary plastic production; concerns raised over industry lobbyists outnumbering scientists and many national delegations; final INC-5 meeting set to take place in Busan, Republic of Korea on November 25 – December 1, 2024
Reports on EFSA food safety conference
Special issue of EFSA Journal summarizes outcomes of EFSA’s 2nd scientific conference on food safety that took place on October 14-16, 2015 in Milan, Italy