News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
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
June 15, 2020
World Economic Forum (WEF) webinar features presentations investigating environmental challenges created by COVID-19 pandemic; discusses effects on the shift away from single-use plastics and on ability to recycle, reviews strategies for moving forward
Reading time: 1 minute
