The Lexicon develops online game to bring awareness about personal food choices on health, environment, and culture; supporting resource articles provide insights from experts into developing sustainable diets, dietary guidelines, and making choices about the food we eat
State and national governments acting on PFAS
United States Senate Committee on Health Education Labor and Pensions adds the Keep Food Containers Safe from PFAS Act as amendment to Food and Drug Administration funding bill; if it passes, PFAS would be banned in food packaging by January 1, 2024; trade groups in US state of Maine protest PFAS notification; Belgium plans national ban on PFAS if EU does not act by 2023; Japan bans 56 PFOA-related substances; Mexico proposes PFOS, PFOA import and export restrictions
EFSA: 4th FIP network meeting on FCMs
EFSA’s Food Ingredients and Packaging Scientific Network held fourth meeting on food contact materials on February 16, 2017; discussions focused on coatings; interest group on evaluation of coatings formed
EFSA updates independence policy
EFSA publishes revised independence policy including new elements to avoid conflicts of interest; NGO remains critical of EFSA’s ties to food industry
Fluorinated chemicals in cake packaging
Danish consumer council finds elevated levels of fluorinated substances in 3 out of 21 paper and board packagings of ready-made cakes; test results indicate decreased intentional use of fluorinated chemicals in baking paper since 2016
Final TSCA framework rules published
U.S. EPA issues final rules on prioritization, risk evaluation, and inventory of chemicals under revised TSCA; scope of risk assessment for first 10 high-priority substances defined
Web resource for nanotechnology in Switzerland
Pilot website with nanomaterials-related information launched in Switzerland
Plastic industry questions regulation on BPA
American Chemistry Council and PlasticsEurope claim safety of BPA for food packaging based on draft CLARITY-BPA core study; many results of 2nd part of CLARITY-BPA still unpublished
Negative list of packaging materials
Nestlé publishes a list of materials to be avoided in its packaging because of recycling difficulties, including PVC, PVDC, PS, ePS, regenerated cellulose, unrecyclable multilayers; industry association counters that ePS can be recycled
Global Food Contact Conference 2022: updates from the Americas
Smithers conference covers global developments in food contact regulations and materials; speakers on day one review recent and upcoming changes to food packaging regulations in the US, Canada, and the South American trade bloc Mercosur