News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
November 20, 2024
European Commission (EC) implements restriction on PFHxA; includes transitional period of 18 months to 5 years; European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) adds triphenyl phosphate to candidate list of substances of very high concern (SVHC)
Reading time: 2 minutes
November 19, 2024
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) objects two petitions advocating for removing diallyl phthalate and 28 ortho-phthalates from authorization due to insufficient evidence to modify the ruling form 2022
Reading time: 2 minutes
November 18, 2024
Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) adopts two new standards on plastic bags for food contact applications; will come into effect on March 4, 2025
Reading time: 0 minutes
November 15, 2024
European Ombudsman submits formal recommendation to European Commission (EC) on risk management of chemicals; emphasizes EC repeatedly misses deadlines for regulating substances under REACH; finds decision-making process is not sufficiently transparent; conclude it to be maladministration
Reading time: 1 minute
November 14, 2024
VERMEER FCM tool allows modeling migration of organic chemicals from plastic food contact materials (FCMs), predicting selected toxicological endpoints, and comparing with European regulatory information; based on several in silico models; designed to assist risk assessment of FCMs; openly available
Reading time: 2 minutes
November 12, 2024
European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) study reports nanomaterials in consumer products including food contact materials (FCMs) still on the rise; find “systematic” migration of nanoparticles from FCMs; silver studied the most; no general conclusions on toxicity; review identifies further research gaps and calls to advance regulatory framework to mitigate potential risks associated with nanoparticles in FCMs
Topics: nanomaterials, nanoparticles
Reading time: 5 minutes
November 8, 2024
Describes the function and properties of food packaging and the pros and cons of the different food contact materials in fulfilling them; calls for future research to investigate how repeated use affects the packaging’s mechanical performance and thermal stability
Topics: circular economy, reuse
Reading time: 3 minutes
November 7, 2024
On October 28, 2024, the Food Packaging Forum, in collaboration with ETH Zürich, held the first Swiss Symposium on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs); throughout the day, leading experts shared the history of EDC research, as well as ongoing efforts to understand hazards and exposures associated with EDCs
Topics: Endocrine Disruptors
Reading time: 5 minutes
October 24, 2024
Article connects the dots between two global challenges: plastics and ultra-processed foods (UPFs); authors highlight how plastics have enabled the mass production of low-cost UPFs, leading to widespread health and environmental harms; emphasize that thousands of chemicals from plastic packaging migrate into food, many of which are hazardous and inadequately tested; urge joint efforts to tackle both issues, suggesting that addressing plastics and UPFs together could lead to more effective solutions
Reading time: 2 minutes
October 24, 2024
Scientists compile database on chemical features associated with plastic food packaging; comprises 2101 features compiled from scientific literature and own non-targeted analysis; of the 2101, 30% were found to migrate from 106 food packaging samples and approximately 78% detected in human serum samples
Reading time: 3 minutes
