News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
February 15, 2022
Scientific commentary discusses pregnancy- and child-relevant exposure to and impacts of nano- and microplastics: finds 37 studies mostly on plastic particles in food and placental transfer, identifies major knowledge gaps, and advocates policymakers and industry to implement precautionary approaches; Nature Reviews Materials article proposes microplastic risk assessment framework
Reading time: 4 minutes
February 9, 2022
Scientists develop holistic conceptual framework to characterize and rank the environmental risks of plastic polymers; tool can support targeted investment and mitigation strategies
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 8, 2022
Review provides guidance to select analytical technique for non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) identification and quantification in food contact materials (FCMs); scientific studies analyze NIAS migrating from FCMs; develop model to predict collision cross-section values to identify NIAS in FCMs; detect polyethylene terephthalate (PET) oligomers in post-mortem blood samples
Reading time: 4 minutes
February 8, 2022
Scientific study compares chemicals migrating from new plastic sport bottles and bottles after dishwashing and one year in use; detects over 400 plastic-related compounds including oligomers and aromatic amines; finds dishwashing to increase migration
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 7, 2022
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) publishes presentation slides from stakeholder meeting on the re-evaluation of bisphenol A (BPA); EFSA scientists and other BPA working group members describe the re-evaluation process and reasons for suggesting the tolerable daily intake of BPA be lowered significantly
Reading time: 1 minute
February 7, 2022
Advertising Standards Authority informs Pepsi Lipton International and Aqua Pura their “100% recycled” and “eco-friendly” labeling breaches advertising code; advertising implies the whole beverage container made from recycled materials even though cap and label are from virgin material; argue that eco-friendly label needs evidence
Reading time: 0 minutes
February 4, 2022
Cross-sectional study with over 1200 participants finds relation between bisphenol S (BPS) and heart disease; BPS is commonly used to replace bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging and other products
Reading time: 0 minutes
February 4, 2022
US Plastics Pact, whose signatories produce 33% of packaging in the US by weight, publishes list of eleven plastic food packaging materials and food contact chemicals that are “problematic and unnecessary”; includes cutlery, polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), PFAS, and carbon black
Reading time: 0 minutes
February 3, 2022
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adds 15 new entries to its Inventory of Effective Food Contact Substance Notifications (FCNs) since October 2021; FDA proposes update to procedure to determine when FCNs are no longer effective; update open for comment until April 11, 2022
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 1, 2022
Malaysia proposes revision of allowable uses for eleven chemicals, including seven used in food contact material (FCM) applications; Vietnam’s revised Law on Environmental Protection comes into effect, launches nationwide extended producer responsibility scheme for domestic producers and importers; Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives publishes report that chemical recycling plant in Indonesia, launched by Unilever in 2017, was “secretly shuttered” after two years; Sri Lanka proposes plastic pellets be classified as dangerous goods during maritime shipping
Reading time: 4 minutes
