News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
March 26, 2021
Food packaging experts call for banning a new group of biodegradability promoting additives used in food packaging, cite concerns over uncontrollable degradation, migration of and human exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals; finds them distracting from real solutions such as new business models incorporating reuse
Reading time: 2 minutes
March 26, 2021
European Commission holds workshop with stakeholders to discuss criteria for chemicals that are Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD); implementation of EU’s Chemical Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) will depend on clear and implementable criteria for SSbD, amongst other central pillars such as essential use and generic risk assessment
Reading time: 3 minutes
March 26, 2021
Updated version of bill continues to plan for nationwide extended producer responsibility scheme, minimum recycled content limits, deposit system, single-use plastic bans; new focus on promoting refillable containers, establishing three-year stop on construction of new plastic and chemical recycling facilities
Reading time: 2 minutes
March 25, 2021
US state governor passes legislation banning polystyrene foam food packaging partially by 2023 and fully by 2025; sets penalty of $50 a day, civil organizations to be exempted; signed executive order regulating phase-out of non-reusable plastics from public institutions by July 21, 2021
Reading time: 1 minute
March 25, 2021
Government agency Health Canada publishes updated industry guide providing relevant information, examples, migration limits, designs for warnings labels; emphasizes that undecorated glassware and ceramics out of scope of regulation
Reading time: 1 minute
March 25, 2021
Chem Forward and Sustainable Packaging Coalition launch collaborative to identify, assess, and verify safer alternatives for use in food packaging; plan to develop cloud-based registration system, highlight best practices, develop common agenda to accelerate systemic change
Topics: risk assessment, substitution
Reading time: 1 minute
March 24, 2021
Academic scientists from ETH Zürich publish textbook teaching fundamental tools, methods, and concepts for designing chemical products and processes; includes life cycle assessment, product and process risk assessment, thermal safety, key regulations, societal dialogue; features workable case study developed with industry partners
Topics: life cycle assessment, risk assessment
Reading time: 2 minutes
March 24, 2021
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) publishes administrative guide on submitting applications for approval of substances to be used in plastic food contact materials (FCMs); describes procedures, timelines for handling applications; will be updated as necessary
Reading time: 1 minute
March 24, 2021
Ruling aims to simplify and harmonize labels placed on packaging within the country; plans to abolish “Green Dot” label and revise “Triman” label to provide specific sorting information to consumers; label guidelines to be released in second half of 2021, potentially come into force January 1, 2022
Reading time: 1 minute
March 24, 2021
Last Week Tonight episode focuses on plastic recycling, reports only nine percent of all plastics recycled, functioning systems only established for polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene; discusses Basel Convention restricting plastic waste trade, criticizes misleading closed-loop recycling claims; recommends targeted bans, introducing extended producer responsibility schemes
Reading time: 2 minutes
