News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
September 30, 2020
FH Campus Wien publishes third edition of its Circular Packaging Design Guideline; provides recommendations for designing recyclable packaging; updated to reflect new legal and structural framework conditions, country-specific details
Topics: circular economy, recycling
Reading time: 1 minute
September 30, 2020
Researchers announce creation of enzyme technology allowing to degrade polyethylene terephthalate plastics at room temperature in a laboratory setting; industrial scale up foreseen as possible within several years
Reading time: 2 minutes
September 29, 2020
Partnership between academic researchers, regulatory scientists, and policy analysts on use and impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); focus on essential uses, total impacts, options for a global phase-out, call for focus on persistence
Topics: PFAS
Reading time: 1 minute
September 28, 2020
Report by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) investigates market availability and use of alternatives to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in paper and board coatings; finds non-fluorinated alternatives available and effective, market uptake primarily limited by increase in price
Topics: PFAS
Reading time: 2 minutes
September 28, 2020
Legislature for US state of New Jersey passes bill banning both plastic and paper single-use bags, polystyrene foam food containers; plastic straw use to be limited; bill will be signed by governor and enter into force 18 months later
Reading time: 2 minutes
September 25, 2020
New report by the Changing Markets Foundation investigates commitments on plastic packaging made by largest food and consumer goods companies; criticizes consistently failed promises, sees voluntary initiatives as tactics to distract from and avoid responsibility
Reading time: 1 minute
September 25, 2020
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) position statement promotes risk-based approach to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) post-Brexit; three NGOs argue in favor of increased use of Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) to identify EDCs
Reading time: 2 minutes
September 25, 2020
EcoWatch article presents evidence that manufacturers knew since 1970s that plastic recycling is not viable economically; recent survey finds only 1/3 of UK food product packaging locally recyclable; manufacturer singles out PET as way forward towards circular economy
Reading time: 2 minutes
September 24, 2020
Coalition requests US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to follow its own mandate to consider cumulative effects of chemicals present during safety assessments; covers chemicals directly added to food, substances migrating from food packaging, substances generally recognized as safe (GRAS); finds only 1 of 877 existing GRAS notifications adhered to requirement
Reading time: 3 minutes
September 24, 2020
Publishes second article in three-part series on hazardous chemical exposure at home; provides overview of research on toxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to developing fetuses, young children; profiles US families with high PFAS concentrations in drinking water, efforts to restrict uses
Topics: PFAS, toxicity testing
Reading time: 2 minutes
