Technical report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) informs about “chemical-related issues of plastic pollution and options to address them”; finds 13,000 chemicals present in plastic; 7,000 have hazard data of which 3,200 are chemicals of concern; outlines chemical groups, use sectors of concern, human and ecosystem exposure, gaps and improvement options including substitution and waste management in a circular economy
May 8, 2023
UV-328 listed as POP under the Stockholm Convention
11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention lists UV absorber as Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP); first non-halogenated POP under the Convention; also listing of flame retardant dechlorane plus and pesticide methoxychlor in Annex A
May 8, 2023
United States creating national plastic pollution strategy
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes draft national strategy to prevent plastic pollution; outlines goals to reduce pollution during plastic production, improve recycling/reuse, and remove microplastics from waterways
May 8, 2023
Nepal’s street food packaging becoming healthier
Department of Food Technology and Quality Control in Nepal announces that newsprint will soon be banned as street food packaging to limit harmful chemicals in food
May 4, 2023
Canada working towards zero plastic waste
Canadian government plans to establish federal plastics registry and release regulatory framework for plastic packaging; aim to improve knowledge of plastic waste, value recovery, and pollution; measures are open for comment until May 18, 2023; NGO urges government to expand ban on non-recyclable plastic packaging and take further action.
May 3, 2023
Analyzing NIAS in harmonized and non-harmonized FCMs
International Life Sciences Institute Europe publishes document on analytical methods and challenges in identifying non-intentionally added substances (NIAS); focus on non-harmonized food contact materials (FCMs) including silicones, inks, adhesives; discusses strengths and limitations of various methods; includes proposal on communication along the supply chain
May 2, 2023
Microplastics: recent insights into human exposure, cellular uptake, cancer metastasis
Researchers report plastic fragments may exacerbate breast cancer metastasis; review summarizes nanoplastic uptake into human cells; studies find occupational microplastics exposure can be reduced by wearing face masks; millions of micro- and nanoplastics are released during 30-second food blending; scientists more worried about microplastic impacts on the environment than humans
April 27, 2023
FPF submits feedback on packaging and packaging waste regulation
Food Packaging Forum (FPF) responds to European Commission’s call for feedback on the proposed packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR); FPF highlights aspects of food packaging and chemical safety that should be included in future versions; primarily (i) considering presence of hazardous chemicals in packaging materials meant to be recycled or reused, (ii) clearly defining compostable packaging and guaranteeing safety, and (iii) defining inertness
April 26, 2023
PFAS found in popcorn bags in US, Indonesia
US based and Indonesia based NGOs publish report on PFAS in popcorn bags; all 29 samples tested contained at least one PFAS
April 21, 2023
Measuring trade-offs between packaging waste and food waste
Australian Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Center surveys consumer perceptions of packaging’s role in encouraging or preventing food waste; United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) breaks down results from 33 life cycle analyses comparing packaging and food waste; makes structured recommendations for when packaging or food waste costs are higher based on food type, consumer and regulatory support, and strength of local waste management systems
