News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
March 5, 2026
Thai Food and Drug Administration publishes proposed updates for regulation of food contact ceramics and new regulations for metals, glass, and paper and board; proposal rarely outlines exact migration limits, instead referencing official Thai standards to avoid future regulator involvement
Reading time: 4 minutes
March 3, 2026
Scientists clarify that biobased content does not guarantee regulatory exemption in EU unless chemically unmodified; develop decision tree to help design biobased materials that align with current EU regulation; call for harmonized, updated definitions to avoid inconsistency and ambiguity on terms like biobased and bioplastics
Reading time: 4 minutes
March 2, 2026
Ministry of Food and Drug Safety proposes amendments to food contact regulation; one proposal is to allow use of recycled polypropylene, limit use of certain plasticizers in PVC; second proposal subjects rubber and silicone products for children to stricter chemical migration limits; government also taking steps to curb plastic pollution via bans on free plastic cups and label on bottled water
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 27, 2026
Greenpeace report reviews scientific evidence on chemical migration from plastic food packaging; finds plastic containers can release micro- and nanoplastics and chemicals into food; leaching is increased when food is heated in plastic packaging; calls for immediate action and applying the precautionary principle to better protect human health
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 26, 2026
Study analyzes per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) levels in 18 food contact materials (FCMs) before and after applying total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay; PFAS levels increased 420-fold in FCMs after TOP, highlighting the need to consider PFAS precursors in safety assessments; short-chain PFAS dominated
Topics: chemical analysis, PFAS
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 24, 2026
Corporate Europe Observatory investigation discusses industry lobbying against REACH revision; shows European Commission members met with industry 93 times, NGOs 14 times; highlights most relevant REACH issues discussed; summarizes ongoing industry lobbying techniques
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 17, 2026
Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia announces gradual ban on single-use plastic for food contact; by February 1, 2027, sale of food packaged in or served on plastic will be prohibited; like Canada, exempts production of plastic food contact materials for export
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 11, 2026
European investigation sheds light on chemical recycling practices; questions whether chemical recycling is a sustainable approach; shows examples of potentially misleading green claims using mass balance approaches
Reading time: 3 minutes
February 5, 2026
Scientists review evidence of metabolism-disrupting chemicals; focus on BPS, DINP, PFOA, and micro- and nanoplastics; apply the key characteristics framework; show that focusing only on genotoxicity can lead to regrettable substitution; argue for group-based approaches to regulating chemicals
Reading time: 3 minutes
February 3, 2026
European Commission report estimates cost of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution based on four scenarios; completely banning PFAS by 2040 could save €110 billion; other jurisdictions also taking action to address PFAS pollution
Reading time: 4 minutes
