News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
March 16, 2021
New report by International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) highlights the effects toxic chemicals have on women, special vulnerabilities faced from toxic exposure; provides recommendations to safeguard the health of women, includes focusing on phasing out hazardous chemicals highly impacting women, preventing pregnant women from working with hazardous chemicals
Topics: chemical exposure, human health
Reading time: 0 minutes
March 16, 2021
Minutes from recent meetings of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) CEP panel and working groups on bisphenol A (BPA), food contact materials (FCMs), recycling plastics, and phthalates published; groups continue discussions and revisions of draft opinions; new working group on re-evaluation of phthalates and structurally similar substances in FCMs launched
Reading time: 3 minutes
March 16, 2021
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) launches public consultation on identifying eight new substances of very high concern (SVHCs); four are food contact chemicals (FCCs): bisphenol B, 1,4-dioxane, medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCP), and phenol alkylation products with C12-rich branched or linear alkyl chains from oligomerization (PDDP); open for public comment until April 23, 2021
Reading time: 1 minute
March 15, 2021
Article in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety discusses alternatives for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in paper food packaging; considers lamination with waxes and polymer films, alternative surface sizing and coatings; views finding cost-effective, fully biodegradable, and environmentally friendly alternatives challenging
Reading time: 2 minutes
March 12, 2021
French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) proposes listing bisphenol B as REACH substance of very high concern (SVHC), suggests bisphenol B is an even more dangerous endocrine disruptor than bisphenol A; public consultation for identification dossier open until April 23, 2021
Reading time: 1 minute
March 11, 2021
European Environment Bureau (EEB) reviews progress of EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP), highlights successes and challenges; finds many EU countries missed 2020 targets for recycling, waste prevention targets needed; European Parliament calling for targets to reduce resource use by 2030; EU Commission planning publication of guidelines for Single-Use Plastic Directive, clarification of rules for biobased and biodegradable plastics, introduction of legislation to mandate using harmonized Life Cycle Assessment method
Reading time: 0 minutes
March 11, 2021
Upstream publishes overview article discussing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging, sees recent improvements; views EPR as foundation of circular economy and calls for EPR policies to also focus on developing new reuse/refill systems, include targets for litter prevention and mitigation; advocates for binding reuse targets similar to EU's recycling targets to create conditions for businesses to safely invest in upscaling reuse
Reading time: 2 minutes
March 11, 2021
Consultancy McKinsey & Company presents results from survey on consumers’ attitudes towards packaging and concerns around sustainability in ten emerging markets; finds greatest consumer concern in China, India and Indonesia; suggests as first action to decrease packaging complexity, reduce unnecessary packaging, exchange multi- with mono-layer materials
Reading time: 2 minutes
March 10, 2021
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) publication aims to increase agreement on approach and criteria for alternatives selection, set minimum requirements to determine safer substitutes; provides guidance on setting scope, using comparative hazard and exposure assessments, comparing trade-offs; applies framework in example case study
Topics: risk assessment, substitution
Reading time: 1 minute
March 10, 2021
European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Biocidal Products Committee (BPC) announces opinion not approving silver compounds for application in food contact materials (FCMs); includes silver zinc zeolite, silver zeolite, silver copper zeolite, silver sodium hydrogen zirconium phosphate; finds risk unacceptable for human health; next meeting scheduled in June 2021
Reading time: 1 minute
