Jane Muncke from the Food Packaging Forum presents on chemicals of concern in food packaging as part of a webinar dedicated to «identifying chemicals and polymers of concern» organized by the United Nations Environment Programme in preparation for the upcoming third negotiating session for the UN Global Plastics Treaty
JRC: Avoid pre-heating for migration testing
EU Reference Laboratory for Food Contact Materials completes study on the impacts of pre-heating food contact materials before migration testing; advises reference laboratories to avoid pre-heating
Stain-resistant chemical linked to thyroid function
Huffington Post reports on new science study on perfluorinated chemicals, too little known about long-term effects states the study co-author
ES&T article scrutinizes claims made about reusable bags, COVID-19
Article in Environmental Science and Technology (ES&T) critical of safety concerns raised by industry association related to reusable shopping bags, argues their infrequent handling poses less risk than other transmission pathways; explains that single-use paper bags would be safer option than plastic due to lower virus survival time
Over 115 health experts sign statement on safety of reuse
Greenpeace and UPSTREAM publish statement signed by wide-range of doctors and public health researchers, emphasize that reuse systems in stores and restaurants can be implemented safely during COVID-19 pandemic by following standard sanitation laws; single-use items not inherently safer than reusables
Authorship of chemicals bill questioned
Authorship of new chemical safety act introduced by U.S. Senators David Vitter and Tom Udall is being questioned
FCM-relevant AOP research
Scientists explore adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) associated with bisphenols, phthalates, perchlorate, food additives, microplastics; discuss ways of using AOPs to predict chemical hazards, assess mixture toxicity
Studies detect microplastics in food and link it to packaging, processing equipment
Several articles published since the beginning of 2023 have analyzed plastic particles in packaged foods and beverages, including salt, sugar, canned fish, bottled water, soft drinks, and cold tea; draw a connection to packaging and food processing; migration studies demonstrate particle release from plastic food containers and breastmilk storage bags; review develops 10 criteria for data quality assessment and find most studies “unreliable” on one or more criteria
Food packaging chemicals in ToxCast
Scientists use ToxCast data to prioritize food-relevant chemicals for safety testing; identify obesity- and diabetes-related chemicals, and chemicals affecting growth and development; multiple food contact chemicals found to be active in ToxCast assays
NGOs comment on UN EDC reports
ChemSec and CIEL discuss UN overview reports on endocrine disruptors, highlight value of SIN List, importance of using scientific information for policies and regulations