News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
August 19, 2026
European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) publishes report on economic viability of chemical recycling of plastics; concludes that chemical recycling does not achieve cost parity with virgin plastics; may still play a role in supplying markets with recycled plastics considering recycled content requirements of new EU regulations on packaging and single-use plastics
Reading time: 3 minutes
August 18, 2026
Swiss Federal Council adopts new Packaging Ordinance covering all packaging materials; introduces recycling targets and take-back requirements for plastic packaging and beverage cartons; ban on substances of very high concern (SVHCs) added after public consultation; government did not address key concerns shared by the Food Packaging Forum and Swiss civil society organizations during public comment period
Reading time: 4 minutes
August 17, 2026
Minderoo Foundation and Boston College publish second update of umbrella review on plastic-associated chemicals and human health; demonstrates continuing increase in “statistically significant and highly consistent” evidence of harm; PlasticHealthAware dashboard makes data openly available; regular updates planned
Topics: human health, plastic
Reading time: 2 minutes
August 13, 2026
Israeli government proposes restrictions on BPA and other bisphenols in food contact materials (FCMs) in line with Regulation (EU) 2024/3190; notifies World Trade Organization (WTO); proposal open for comments by WTO members until September 28, 2026; restrictions seemingly limited to products only covered by EU-aligned provisions of national food law; proposal part of broader chemicals strategy
Reading time: 3 minutes
August 12, 2026
Starting August 12 EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) provisions related to PFAS take effect; food contact packaging meeting or exceeding concentration limits cannot be placed on EU market; European Commission recommends tiered testing approach and confirms no general stock-exhaustion period
Reading time: 2 minutes
August 4, 2026
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) drafts revised standard for plastic feeding bottles; includes migration testing, restrictions on bisphenol A; Food Packaging Forum (FPF) submits comments encouraging stronger chemical safety provisions; raises concerns on regrettable substitution, non-intentionally added substances (NIAS), mixture toxicity, and infant-specific vulnerability
Reading time: 2 minutes
August 3, 2026
Study shows presence of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) in 19 new and seven used beeswax wraps (i.e., 100% of samples) sourced from several countries; demonstrates accumulation of CPs on beeswax wraps from contaminated indoor environments during storage
Reading time: 3 minutes
July 30, 2026
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) updates its risk assessment on 27 brominated flame retardants (BFRs) including data since 2012; newly concludes some BFRs as genotoxic, carcinogenic or reprotoxic; identifies major data gaps that hamper risk characterization of many substances; highlights recycled plastic food contact materials as potential exposure source for hazardous BFRs
Reading time: 3 minutes
July 29, 2026
Using epidemiological data of 136,982 adults, scientists examine association between occupational airborne micro- and nanoplastic (MNP) exposure and respiratory health outcomes; find occupational exposure to be associated with reduced lung function and increased odds of respiratory symptoms
Topics: microplastics
Reading time: 2 minutes
July 23, 2026
US study estimates at least 5.1 billion pounds (2.3 million metric tons) of post-consumer plastic recovered for recycling in 2024; overall increase compared with 2022; growth largely driven by plastic film; plastic bottle recovery declined
Reading time: 2 minutes
