European Commission (EC) publishes new regulation encompassing recycling processes for all plastics intended to come into contact with food; outlines authorization procedure for recyclers, enforcement for Member States
EDC criteria proposal blocked by Member States
Draft legal act on EDC identification criteria finds little support by EU Member States; European Commission to change draft, aiming to find a majority among Member States
Replacing hazardous chemicals with similarly toxic alternatives
New report by NGO CHEM Trust highlights necessity to regulate groups of similar chemicals to avoid regrettable substitutions, illustrates replacement of BPA with BPS and other analogues as example
Food Contact Compliance
EU nanomaterial definition coming soon
European Commission to update nanomaterial definition by September or October 2016
China outlines restrictions on single-use plastics
Ministry of Commerce announces increased oversight on use of disposable plastic items by businesses; sets ban on range of single-use plastic items including plastic shopping bags, tableware, hospitality products
Unpacking the complexity of the polyethylene food contact articles value chain: A chemicals perspective
EU receives stakeholder feedback on FCM plans
European Commission receives 302 comments on inception impact assessment for revision of EU rules on food contact materials (FCM); Food Packaging Forum submits comments calling for revising definition to consider chemicals with difficult-to-identify safety levels, offers support to prioritize chemicals of concern
Plastic food contact materials under fire in Massachusetts communities
Various towns in Massachusetts, US discuss banning single use plastic bags, repeal of PET bottle ban fails
Nestlé investment to create market for recycled plastics
International food and beverage company to invest over 2 billion USD to source packaging from food-grade recycled plastics; aims to create market for recycled material, launch venture fund to support packaging innovation