European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Biocidal Products Committee (BPC) announces opinion not approving silver compounds for application in food contact materials (FCMs); includes silver zinc zeolite, silver zeolite, silver copper zeolite, silver sodium hydrogen zirconium phosphate; finds risk unacceptable for human health; next meeting scheduled in June 2021
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
Conference report: Towards a non-toxic future
Stakeholder conference held by Danish Ministry delivers recommendations for future EU chemicals regulation; conference report now available
EFSA working group updates in November 2020 to March 2021
Minutes from recent meetings of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) CEP panel and working groups on bisphenol A (BPA), food contact materials (FCMs), recycling plastics, and phthalates published; groups continue discussions and revisions of draft opinions; new working group on re-evaluation of phthalates and structurally similar substances in FCMs launched
State and national governments acting on PFAS
United States Senate Committee on Health Education Labor and Pensions adds the Keep Food Containers Safe from PFAS Act as amendment to Food and Drug Administration funding bill; if it passes, PFAS would be banned in food packaging by January 1, 2024; trade groups in US state of Maine protest PFAS notification; Belgium plans national ban on PFAS if EU does not act by 2023; Japan bans 56 PFOA-related substances; Mexico proposes PFOS, PFOA import and export restrictions
WSJ: attitudes towards single-use plastic changing in home kitchens
Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article discusses changing attitudes towards plastic in home kitchens; outlines the relatively recent history of plastic in the kitchen and recent cultural shifts towards using more reusable materials for storing and transporting food; FPF compares different reusable options, consumers encouraged to not forget about chemical migration and impacts on human health
Scientists present and apply spectral database on plastic additives
Researchers develop high-resolution spectral database and method for the identification of 56 selected organic plastic additives; indicates presence of multiple additives when applied to polypropylene and polylactic acid food packaging; highlight chemical signature not polymer but product dependent and “bioplastic” just as conventional plastics contain harmful additives
FCM regulatory and waste management updates from South and Southeast Asia
Malaysia proposes revision of allowable uses for eleven chemicals, including seven used in food contact material (FCM) applications; Vietnam’s revised Law on Environmental Protection comes into effect, launches nationwide extended producer responsibility scheme for domestic producers and importers; Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives publishes report that chemical recycling plant in Indonesia, launched by Unilever in 2017, was “secretly shuttered” after two years; Sri Lanka proposes plastic pellets be classified as dangerous goods during maritime shipping
The Guardian investigates PFAS in blood, food packaging, and cookware
Journalist from The Guardian tests household items and his own blood for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in partnership with the University of Notre Dame and the Silent Spring Institute; analysis confirms presence of four types of PFAS in blood serum, 15 household products, food packaging and cookware; identified substances include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane-1-sulphonic acid (PFHxS)
Article on trending phase out of PFAS in food packaging
Chemical Watch investigates trend of US states and retailers to phase out use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging; non-governmental organizations expect increasing momentum while PFAS manufacturers defends performance and safety of applications