Food Packaging Forum (FPF) submits comments to the European Commission on the restriction of bisphenol A in food contact materials; supports the proposed regulation; advocates for shorter transition periods, broader coverage, and development of more advanced detection methods
French Competition Authority: companies potentially concealing BPA in food packaging
The French Competition Authority alleges that 14 trade associations and 101 companies had agreements not to communicate about the use or removal of BPA from metal-containing food packaging in France; authority has not released names of the companies, but Nestle has released a statement denying the allegations
Review investigates challenges of assessing NIAS in plastic FCMs
Literature review summarizes challenges regarding non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) in plastic food contact materials (FCMs); describes 52 studies with their applied methodologies for NIAS extraction and identification, plastic types analyzed, and NIAS detected; highlights NIAS assessment as a challenge for scientific community and industry due to lack of hazard data, a missing harmonized methodology, and outdated regulatory guidelines
EU Commission plans EDC hazard classes within CLP
European Commission announces plan to create new hazard classes for endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) within the EU’s Classification, Labeling, and Packaging (CLP) Regulation; industry stakeholders criticize decision, call for addressing EDCs via REACH Regulation; civil society groups welcome change; further discussion planned for February 2021
2022 FPF Workshop: FCM developments in the last decade
On the morning of the Food Packaging Forum’s annual workshop, speakers discuss changes in food contact material (FCM) regulation in the EU, US, and Asia; panels discuss key research and policy developments over the last decade
Pandemic providing opportunity for packaging innovation, resilience
Episode of The Indisposable Podcast discusses coronavirus pandemic and how reusable packaging could expand and innovate to help businesses protect public health, save money, and increase resilience; argue that a shift backward to single-use packaging not needed
FPF Workshop 2020: Work of IARC explained
Kate Guyton reviews the work of International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), underlines the essential role played by independent scientific experts, describes processes used for evidence synthesis and carcinogen classification; key characteristics of carcinogens constitute an important approach to cancer hazard identification
Responses to draft EDC identification guidance
Responders to consultation on draft guidance for identification of EDCs criticize too high level of evidence required and too narrow scope
Bisphenol F disrupts thyroid endocrine system
Study shows bisphenol F disrupts hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis and leads to body length reduction in zebrafish larvae
BPA during pregnancy affects thyroid function in newborn boys
First study to link maternal BPA exposure to neonatal thyroid function in male newborns but mechanisms remain unclear