News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
December 24, 2021
Canada moves forward with domestic ban of six single-use plastic products; targets checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware, ring carriers, stir sticks, and straws; ban may come into force before end of 2022; public consultation until March 5, 2022; England considering similar ban with consultation until February 12, 2022
Reading time: 1 minute
December 23, 2021
Scientists review 68 corporate sustainability reports of major food and beverage companies on plastic pollution and packaging; find most reports do not address plastic pollution and focus on end-of-life options instead of sustainable packaging solutions
Reading time: 2 minutes
December 22, 2021
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and ClientEarth win appeal case brought by lobby group PlasticsEurope; EU Court of Justice confirms ECHA listing of bisphenol A (BPA) as a substance of very high concern (SVHC) due to its endocrine-disrupting properties for humans; PlasticsEurope cannot appeal again
Reading time: 1 minute
December 22, 2021
Medical professionals elaborate on health hazards connected with plastic production, use, and waste; give options to reduce impacts on humans and the planet; scientists summarize current knowledge on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) occurrence and migration from food packaging and microplastics
Reading time: 4 minutes
December 21, 2021
International Pollution Elimination Network and partners publish two studies investigating toxic substances in plastic pellets; virgin plastic pellets recovered from beaches on six continents all contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and endocrine-disrupting UV stabilizers; over half of the samples of recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pellets contain at least 11 out of 18 flame retardants and UV stabilizers assessed
Reading time: 3 minutes
December 17, 2021
South American trade bloc to no longer allow bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic food contact articles designed for children under 3 years old, lowers migration limit from other plastic FCAs; sets migration limits for 9 metals from plastic FCAs; adds substances to positive list for plastics and for cellulosic materials
Reading time: 1 minute
December 17, 2021
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) re-evaluation proposes to significantly lower the tolerable daily intake of bisphenol A (BPA) from 4 to 0.00004 micrograms per kilogram of bodyweight per day due to immune system effects; finds many consumers likely exposed beyond the new safe limit; feedback accepted on the draft opinion until February 22, 2022
Reading time: 2 minutes
December 17, 2021
Food Packaging Forum (FPF) finds that the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) planned approach lacks clear recommendation for removing known hazardous chemicals from food contact materials; prioritization of food contact chemicals of concern should be based on hazard properties in alignment with the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability
Topics: EFSA, phthalates
Reading time: 2 minutes
December 17, 2021
Scientists perform migration experiments for oligomer analysis; one study detects eight chemicals including six non-intentionally added oligomers to migrate from multilayer biodegradable teacups; second study reports on oligomer migration from polycarbonate tableware as ‘hidden source’ of bisphenol A (BPA)
Reading time: 3 minutes
December 16, 2021
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) committees for Risk Assessment and Socio-Economic Analysis adopt final opinions supporting Germany’s proposal to restrict the six-carbon chain (C6) undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), its salts, and related substances; restriction on this per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) specifically targets its use in food contact materials
Reading time: 0 minutes
