Denmark and Sweden maintain that EDC criteria require too high burden of proof; France promises tougher national controls on EDCs; Endocrine Society calls on EU Parliament to ‘gather input’ from endocrine scientists
Environment MEPs object EDC criteria
European Parliament’s Environment Committee supports objection to EU Commission’s proposal for EDC criteria, highlights unlawful exemptions for compounds with intended endocrine activity, calls on full Parliament to veto criteria proposal
Swiss authorities investigate paper and board packaging
Enforcement campaign finds mineral oils, plasticizers, photoinitiators, chlorinated substances in paper and board packaging; >50% of companies could not demonstrate legal compliance
Packaging of the future
Zurich University of Applied Sciences holds annual symposium; developments in sustainability, migration, and active and intelligent packaging discussed
Summer 2023 research snapshot: PFAS in food packaging, food, and potential health impacts
A summary of eight studies; scientists quantify per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in French fast food packaging; detect eleven PFAS in baking trays from China but not Spain; find PFAS in straws made of paper, bamboo, glass, and plastic; “compostable” service ware can contaminate compost with PFAS; find PFAS in edible oil worldwide; further articles focus on PFAS in drinking water, in Asia, and effects on child respiratory health
2021 FPF Workshop: Understanding supply chains and improving policies
On the second day of the Food Packaging Forum’s annual workshop, speakers discuss the investments necessary to understand complex food and packaging supply chains and the benefits of taking the time to do so; assessing plastic circularity through a more honest assessment of the post-consumer life of plastics; the ongoing work of European Commission’s food contact materials policy revision
Printing ink exposure from FCM significantly underestimated
New study investigates occurrence of photoinitiators in carton board packaging, finds benzophenone present in 50% of samples, surface to mass ratio 6 times higher than in EU legislation
Extending the use of bioplastics in food packaging
New study reviews the application of bioplastics in food packaging: coating, blending and chemical/physical modification can improve functionality, migration issues still to be resolved
More government action on hazardous chemicals needed
UNEP calls for bolder government regulation of chemicals to boost development of safer compounds and phase out hazardous substances
Ecodesign of plastics
NGO ECOS launches study on ecodesign of plastics; anticipated report seeks to assess available policy tools, identify development needs