News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
October 27, 2023
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is reviewing five food contact chemicals (FCCs) for possible inclusion on the REACH Candidate List of SVHCs; Food Packaging Forum (FPF) shares information on where the FCCs have been measured in food contact; two are on the EU positive list for chemicals in plastic food contact materials; FCCs under consideration for SVHC status and allowed in FCMs highlights need to create stronger connection between FCM regulation and REACH
Reading time: 3 minutes
October 19, 2023
Civil society organizations publish database to research, track, and visualize plastic legislation around the world; hope to reach scientists, policymakers, industry, journalists; tool launched in anticipation of the global Plastics Treaty negotiations in Nairobi, Kenya in November
Reading time: 1 minute
October 17, 2023
Interactive and openly available, the Plastic Health Map summarizes human health outcomes of certain plastic-associated chemicals and particles as published by peer-review articles between 1960 and 2021; includes more than 3500 studies for 1557 chemicals; identifies gaps, including only 30% of chemicals have been investigated for health impacts, few studies in low-income countries
Topics: biomonitoring, chronic disease, exposure, microplastics, mixture toxicity, PFAS, plastics, regulation
Reading time: 4 minutes
October 16, 2023
Review of occupational health studies finds workplace exposure to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) particles likely induces liver carcinogenicity; research study finds polystyrene nanoplastics to speed up ovarian cancer development in mice
Reading time: 2 minutes
October 13, 2023
First study to assess per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food contact materials (FCMs) in Vietnam detects them in 16 out of 18 samples; mostly in low levels but up to 624 ng/g in mochi paper tray; authors call for more focus on Global South since PFAS research focus is mostly on the North
Reading time: 2 minutes
October 12, 2023
US Composting Council, Biodegradable Products Institute, industry, and civil society organizations collaborate on publishing principles to guide policymakers; suggest requirement for third-party certification of compostability claims; present clear rules for labeling and product design
Reading time: 2 minutes
October 10, 2023
The Food Packaging Forum publishes fact sheet on reuse; outlines critical factors to consider when switching to reuse
Topics: reuse
Reading time: 0 minutes
October 10, 2023
In the afternoon of the Food Packaging Forum’s 11th annual workshop, speakers shared businesses experiences on the path towards more safe and sustainable food packaging; five talks and one panel discussion present opportunities, challenges, and case studies; representatives from several large international businesses shared approaches their organizations use to respond to safety and sustainability challenges; reusable packaging founders discuss the unique issues of changing the food packaging field
Reading time: 7 minutes
October 10, 2023
On the morning of the Food Packaging Forum’s 11th annual workshop, speakers share processes to measure sustainable food packaging while accounting for multiple concerns; three speakers share findings from developing frameworks to make packaging safer, account for tradeoffs, and reduce plastic packaging use; three speakers share how policy is developed at the United Nations and European Union
Reading time: 9 minutes
October 9, 2023
Two studies investigate microplastic presence or effects in female and male reproductive organs; small cohort study finds low number of microplastics to be present in human amniotic fluid besides the placenta; in vitro and mice in vivo study reports microplastics induce premature testicular aging and identifies underlying pathways
Reading time: 3 minutes
