New Zealand Ministry for the Environment announces plan to ban many hard-to-recycle and single-use plastic items by mid-2025; includes food packaging made from polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, and some degradable plastics, plus all drink stirrers, single-use tableware, and fruit labels; Western Australia moves Plan for Plastics ahead 4 years, banning most single-use plasticware by end of 2021; New South Wales to eliminate most single-use plasticware within a year
NGO calls out top 12 PFAS producers
ChemSec reports on societal costs of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution; estimates costs of 16 trillion euros per year; says producers and investors need to take responsibility
JRC Symposium compares microplastic analysis methods
European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) symposium summarizes current approaches for microplastic monitoring; research institutions present results of 4 inter-laboratory microplastic analysis comparison studies; no ‘one-size-fits-all’ analytical method, presenters emphasize need for harmonization; Commission outlines policy needs
European Commission allows DEHCH for food contact
DEHCH deemed safe as additives in PVC for food contact; comes into effect 20 days after publication in EU’s Official Journal
EFSA updates criteria for evaluating PET recycling processes
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) updates its guidelines for assessing PET recycling processes for materials intended for food contact; applicants must include information on collection, pre-processing, decontamination, post-processing, and intended use; potential dietary exposure of contaminants must not exceed 0.0025 μg/kg body weight per day
ECHA: 2016 SVHC roadmap report
ECHA releases annual report on progress in identifying substances of very high concern; calls on companies to improve REACH registration data to assess chemicals’ hazards and risks; will focus more on groups of structurally similar substances
EFSA re-publishes scientific opinion on perchlorate in food
EFSA re-assesses dietary exposure to perchlorate; overall conclusions from 2014 not affected
JRC and EFSA reinforce collaboration
EU Joint Research Centre and EFSA hold workshop to discuss ongoing and future collaborations; common topics of interest include chemical mixtures, endocrine disruptors, and risk/hazard assessment of food-relevant chemicals
CHEM Trust and FPF respond to EFSA opinion
The Food Packaging Forum and CHEM Trust address non-intentionally added substances, substances of very high concern, and other issues in detailed responses to EFSA’s public consultation on the draft scientific opinion on risk assessment of chemicals in FCMs
EFSA guidance on using TTC
EFSA publishes guidance on using the Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) approach in food safety assessment