On May 29, 2020, the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) published a notification announcing revisions to the standards and specifications for food containers, utensils and packaging within the country. Law firm Keller and Heckman reported that the main changes that came into force include:
- The general production standard being divided into three parts focusing on raw materials, processing and manufacturing, and reuse;
- Revisions to migration requirements;
- Revisions to the principle for compliance judgement related to “specifications for various uses” as well as a new requirement limiting total volatilization of rubber nipples to 0.5%;
- Revisions to the testing methods for arsenic (CAS 7440-38-2), 1-hexene (CAS 592-41-6), and 1-octene (CAS 111-66-0).
This notification is reported to also allow for use of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) in food contact materials in the country. However, only chemically recycled resins are allowed, and they may only be used in parts that do not come into direct contact with food (e.g. in multi-layer structures).
Read More
Keller and Heckmann LLP (June 17, 2020). “Korea Amends Standards and Specifications for Food Containers, Utensils, and Packages.”
SGS (June 19, 2020). “South Korea Revises Standards and Specifications for Food Contact Materials and Articles.”
Chemical Watch (July 2, 2020). “South Korea’s FCM standard expanded to include some recycled plastics.”
Reference
MFDS (May 29, 2020). “Notification of standards and specifications for packaging equipment and containers (Notification No. 2020-43).”
