News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
June 18, 2020
Shareholder advocacy group As You Sow evaluates 50 largest US consumer-facing companies on their responses to address plastic pollution crisis; finds most companies too slow in adopting actions to prioritize packaging reduction and to promote reusability, recyclability, compostability; outlines key recommendations
Reading time: 2 minutes
June 18, 2020
Notification from South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) announces revisions in standards including migration and testing requirements; allows chemically recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) resins to be used in non-food contact parts of food contact materials (FCM)
Topics: regulation, South Korea
Reading time: 1 minute
June 18, 2020
Committee agrees to support Norway’s restriction proposal on manufacture and placing on the market of perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts, and related substances; cannot reach consensus to identify resorcinol as substance of very high concern (SVHC), agree that it is endocrine disrupting under World Health Organization (WHO) definition
Reading time: 2 minutes
June 18, 2020
Ministry of Industry and Trade releases transitional inventory to inform developing chemicals regulation; open for additional submissions from Russian based companies until August 1, 2020
Topics: regulation, Russia
Reading time: 1 minute
June 16, 2020
Organization releases ChemScore tool that scores top 35 chemical producers based on hazardous chemicals in product portfolios, design strategies, transparency, and history of accidents and controversies; aims to inform investors and promote investment in responsible chemical companies
Topics: hazard assessment
Reading time: 1 minute
June 16, 2020
Government announces ban with immediate effect on all packaging where integral parts are plastic; expands current restrictions and includes plastic wrappers and pouches; any alternative plastic packaging must be compostable and approved by state board
Reading time: 1 minute
June 16, 2020
Industry associations and non-governmental organizations send letter to UK authorities urging ban on all oxo-degradable plastics in the country; call for UK to uphold equivalent standards to EU legislation after leaving the bloc
Reading time: 1 minute
June 16, 2020
National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA) opens public consultation on use of polyethylene in polyoxymethylene plastics and 2-propenoic acid, polymer with 1,3-butadiene and ethenyl benzene for use in adhesives
Reading time: 0 minutes
June 15, 2020
Article in Environmental Science and Technology (ES&T) critical of safety concerns raised by industry association related to reusable shopping bags, argues their infrequent handling poses less risk than other transmission pathways; explains that single-use paper bags would be safer option than plastic due to lower virus survival time
Reading time: 2 minutes
June 15, 2020
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) panel publishes scientific opinion prioritizing 451 substances for creation of specific migration limits (SMLs) for plastic food contact materials; the 3 identified high priority substances are salicylic acid, styrene, and vinyl laurate
Reading time: 1 minute
