On May 20, 2020, the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, and Processing Aids (CEP Panel) published a safety assessment of the substance “phosphoric acid, mixed esters with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate” for use in food contact materials (FCMs). Pending approval from the European Commission, concentrations and product names within the assessment have been redacted.
The substance is to be used up to a redacted concentration in the production of kitchen countertops and sinks for repeated contact with all food types. Specific migration tests into food simulants resulted in values up to 24.8 µg/6 dm2. The migrating oligomers and reaction products were screened, and further, no evidence was found for genotoxicity. The CEP Panel found that the substance is not expected to pose a safety concern when used as a co-monomer up to redacted percentage for the manufacture of food preparation surfaces. The assessment notes in addition that migration of the substance should not exceed 0.05 mg/kg food when expressed “as the sum of the mono‐, di‐ and triesters of phosphoric acid and the mono‐, di‐, tri‐ and tetraesters of diphosphoric acid.”
Read more
EFSA CEP Panel (May 20, 2020). “Safety assessment of the substance phosphoric acid, mixed esters with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate, for use in food contact materials.”
Chemical Watch (May 28, 2020). “Efsa clears substance used in manufacturing kitchen countertops and sinks.”
