News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
April 27, 2026
Report from Plastic Soup Foundation reviews scientific literature on microplastics; highlights sources in five consumer product categories, including food; shares FCMiNo as searchable resource for evidence on microplastics in food from food contact articles; describes challenges with quality of scientific studies; asserts need for action
Topics: food packaging, microplastics
Reading time: 3 minutes
April 24, 2026
Ministry submits draft bill allowing compostable or biodegradable single-use plastic packaging, especially for hospitality industry; amends rules outlined by EU’s Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR); argues justification considering availability of bio-waste management infrastructure in Italy
Reading time: 2 minutes
April 23, 2026
New report estimates the global burden of micro- and nanoplastics in food attributable to plastic packaging; estimate 131 mg per person annually; PET bottles, and rigid PET and polyethylene containers the greatest sources
Topics: microplastics
Reading time: 3 minutes
April 22, 2026
South American trade bloc MERCOSUR’s new food contact silicone regulation gets formally incorporated into Brazilian government policy; introduces positive list for silicones divided by use case
Reading time: 1 minute
April 21, 2026
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Human Foods Program publishes list of research, data, and methods needs; highlights knowledge gaps for food contact chemicals; includes PFAS, microplastics, and nanoparticles; Program receives $109 million increase in funding from US government
Reading time: 3 minutes
April 20, 2026
Scientists estimate that nearly 2 million preterm births and 74’000 newborn deaths globally in 2018 can be attributed to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP); similar results for diisononyl phthalate (DINP); burden is highest in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa; authors recommend regulating phthalates as a chemical class
Reading time: 2 minutes
April 20, 2026
The paper and board food contact materials (FCMs) regulation will go into effect in 2027; increases chemical safety controls for food contact paper and board; aligns standards with Europe
Topics: paper and board, Thailand
Reading time: 1 minute
April 17, 2026
Planet Tracker scores companies, countries, and investment firms by PFAS litigation risk; composite score combines legal cases, regulatory data, independent and self-reporting of PFAS emissions; interactive dashboard supplements report; for food packaging, “a relatively small number of firms account for most high-risk facilities”
Reading time: 2 minutes
April 16, 2026
Modeling by Pew Charitable Trusts and ICF International Inc. predicts annual plastic packaging waste to increase by 31% in the US from 2025 to 2040; municipal waste facilities may not be able to scale with the increase; implementing ambitious reduction, collection, recycling, and reuse measures could reduce waste generation by a third
Reading time: 2 minutes
April 14, 2026
Adopting reusable packaging systems and reducing dependence on single-use packaging could increase resilience; functioning reuse systems already exist and could be adopted elsewhere; US survey finds major differences in grocery store produce packaging, suggesting substantial reductions in plastic use are possible
Topics: reuse
Reading time: 6 minutes
