News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
January 2, 2024
Scientists detect two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in plastic food storage bags; study assesses PFAS in 119 single-use food packaging and tableware samples from around the world and detectes PFAS in 54%; two reviews raise awareness of PFAS impact on human liver health and safety issues connected with the PFAS substitutes - polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters (PAPs); scientist calls for more research to assess combined environmental effect of microplastics and PFAS
Reading time: 7 minutes
December 7, 2023
Three US federal agencies publish draft strategy on food loss and waste prevention; goal to reduce loss and waste by 50% by 2030; includes concerns around physical and chemical contamination of organic waste from packaging; planned investments in “innovative” materials; draft strategy open for comment through January 4, 2024
Topics: food waste, USA
Reading time: 2 minutes
December 6, 2023
Over fifty experts researching the health effects of chemical exposures sign letter to German authorities expressing concerns about recent actions concerning bisphenol regulation in Europe; encourage resubmission of bisphenol restriction proposal and for the country to once again take the lead on regulatory action regarding endocrine disrupting chemicals in Europe
Reading time: 2 minutes
December 5, 2023
Daily Mail reports on environmental campaigners call to action for more sustainable beverage packaging; based on Zero Waste Europe report; says beverage packaging sector will not reach climate targets without deposit return schemes
Reading time: 2 minutes
November 29, 2023
Meeting in Nairobi ends with no consensus on intersessional work needed before next meeting; Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty represented by 37 scientists, including team members from the Food Packaging Forum; expanded and revised version of Zero Draft based on member state inputs to be published by December 31, 2023; next round of negotiations to take place in Ottawa, Canada on April 21 – 30, 2024
Reading time: 4 minutes
November 29, 2023
New version of Understanding Packaging (UP) Scorecard published; allows users to create a private account, make and save product portfolios, compare entire business units, and features a more robust scoring system for chemicals of concern that considers the food or beverage being served
Reading time: 2 minutes
November 28, 2023
Justice Angela Furlanetto deemed the Canadian Environment and Climate Change Department’s classification of manufactured plastics products as toxic unconstitutional; the federal government is appealing the decision; single use plastics ban is still in effect
Reading time: 1 minute
November 28, 2023
Includes ban on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and bisphenol A in food packaging and general packaging reduction targets; decreases reuse obligations
Reading time: 3 minutes
November 23, 2023
119 plastic samples including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) tested for mutagenicity; no DNA-reactive, mutagenic substances in PET but in 51 of the other samples, making them unsafe, especially for food contact applications; recycling process identified as source; dataset of over 600 organic chemicals in recycled high-density PE pellets published
Reading time: 4 minutes
November 22, 2023
Estimates that ten percent increase in reusable packaging by 2030 could eliminate over 1 trillion single-use plastic bottles and cups; finds expanding reuse to be more effective than expanding recycling; calls for beverage companies to set reuse targets
Reading time: 3 minutes
