US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejects two citizen petitions from 2016 asking it to remove 28 phthalates from food contact use for safety reasons; grants industry petition to remove 23 phthalates due to abandonment; FDA issues request for information on use and safety information of remaining phthalates; comments accepted until July 19, 2022
May 24, 2022
FCCmigex dashboard now has in-depth plastics page
Food Packaging Forum publishes interactive tool dedicated to exploring plastic food contact chemical research; released as an update of the Database on Migrating and Extractable Food Contact Chemicals (FCCmigex) dashboard; users can filter data by 12 polymer types, includes 1975 chemicals detected in plastics
May 20, 2022
EFSA publishes final opinion and protocol for phthalates in FCMs
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) publishes final scientific opinion on prioritization of phthalates used in food contact materials (FCMs), protocol for dietary exposure assessment of prioritized substances; documents remain largely the same as the drafts with addition of a few substances and more clarity on the prioritization process; EFSA calls for information on migration of phthalates and other plasticizers in FCMs, input being accepted from June 1 to November 1, 2022
May 19, 2022
Database sheds light on thousands of chemicals in food contact materials
Peer-reviewed study and freely available interactive tool provides systematic overview of food contact chemicals measured in migrates and extracts of food contact materials and articles
May 19, 2022
IPEN webinar: Food contact chemicals, EDCs, and policy opportunities
International Pollution Elimination Network (IPEN) webinar to explore chemicals in food contact materials, health threats of endocrine disrupting chemicals, and global policy opportunities; presentations will be available in English, Arabic, French, Russian, and Spanish
May 18, 2022
UP Scorecard webinar shares resources, tips for eliminating toxic chemicals in packaging
Webinar on June 1, 2022, to share insights and new resources to help companies begin to better identify and address toxic chemicals present in foodware and food packaging; features expert speakers from five different food service companies and civil society organizations
May 13, 2022
Chemical migration into coffee, canned vegetables, and Indian curd
Three research studies investigate the occurrence of chemicals in food packaging and migration into food; find average of 330 µg oligoesters migrating from cans per kg drained vegetables; report most extractable chemicals from low-density polyethylene Dahi curd packaging not included in India’s positive list; detect low levels of phthalic acid esters in coffee obtained from single-use capsules
May 13, 2022
Virgin plastic production must be phased out, scientists say
Letter in Science argues capping virgin plastic production is the only way to address the plastic waste problem; even by changing to other materials, recycling, better waste management, etc. “annual plastic emissions to the environment can only be cut by 79% over 20 years”
May 11, 2022
EFSA CEP Panel updates from November 2021 to April 2022
Minutes available from recent meetings of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP Panel) working groups on food contact materials (FCMs), bisphenol A (BPA), recycling plastics, phthalates, and extraction solvents
May 11, 2022
Half of tested dollar store products contain chemicals of concern
The Ecology Center and the Campaign for Healthier Solutions find 53% of 226 tested products from US and Canadian dollar stores contain one or more chemicals of concern; PFAS in 100% of microwave popcorn, some pans and cookware; banned phthalates in PVC products
