News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
April 5, 2024
Study provides an in-depth look at microplastics in the male reproductive system, analyzes human and mouse samples to chart concentrations and polymer types; finds microplastics in all human testes samples and majority of semen samples; larger plastic particles may get trapped in testis, leading to higher concentrations; identifies correlation between urbanization, home-cooked meals, and body scrub used to microplastics concentration
Reading time: 3 minutes
April 4, 2024
Scientists’ Coalition responds to zero draft in preparation for the 4th negotiating meeting (INC-4) on the global treaty to prevent plastic pollution; meeting in Ottawa, Canada from April 23 – 29, 2024; offer evidence- and science-based commentary; highlight the importance of addressing plastic pollution holistically
Reading time: 0 minutes
April 3, 2024
European Environment Agency finds transition to circular economy in Europe is lacking in various areas; calls for fundamental change in consumption and resource usage; predicts low likelihood of reaching 2030 targets
Topics: circular economy, EU
Reading time: 1 minute
April 2, 2024
Fact sheet from Scientists’ Coalition explains the impacts of plastics on climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution; highlights how the plastics treaty and other multilateral environmental agreements can address the triple planetary crisis
Reading time: 0 minutes
March 28, 2024
Requires environmental claims to be verified by a third-party; addresses carbon offsetting schemes; disregards green claims on hazardous substances; vote will be followed up by new Parliament after elections in June
Reading time: 2 minutes
March 25, 2024
Food Packaging Forum (FPF) submits comments to the European Commission on the restriction of bisphenol A in food contact materials; supports the proposed regulation; advocates for shorter transition periods, broader coverage, and development of more advanced detection methods
Topics: bisphenol A, EFSA
Reading time: 2 minutes
March 22, 2024
Two studies investigating chemicals from retail plastic food contact articles find considerable variability in complexity, with subsequent effects on cell-based tests of hormone disruption; many more chemicals measured from PVC and polyurethane than other polymers though the chemical mixtures from majority of the plastic samples are hormone disrupting; further evidence of PVC and PUR can interfere with GPCR-based cell communication
Reading time: 3 minutes
March 21, 2024
Over 40 scientists jointly comment on chemical risk assessment practices; endorse European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) risk assessment on BPA; urge for more science-based regulation approaches
Topics: bisphenol A, EFSA
Reading time: 2 minutes
March 20, 2024
Dossier discusses potentially misleading "eco-friendly" claims on paper and board packaging, plastic coatings are often used for functionalization: e.g., durability, grease-, water-, and gas -resistance; some alternatives exist but are not yet widely adopted or approved for food contact; recommends prioritizing reusable packaging and enforcing policy changes to eliminate PFAS and misleading marketing claims
Topics: paper and board, recycling
Reading time: 2 minutes
March 19, 2024
Peer-reviewed study provides overview of 68 PFAS in food packaging and other food contact articles; majority of detected PFAS not found in regulatory or industry inventories; PFAS data of FCCmigex dashboard updated
Topics: PFAS
Reading time: 3 minutes
