On May 16, 2013 the German Ministry for Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) published a draft proposal for the 21st Amendment of the Consumer Goods Ordinance (BedGgstV) regulating mineral oil contaminants in paper and board food contact materials (FCMs). The draft amendment states that mineral oils with carbon numbers 10 to 25 may not migrate from paper and board into foods. The proposed amendment comes in response to a position statement (pdf) by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) on the risks arising from mineral oils of December 9, 2012 (previously reported by the FPF).
Mineral oils are present in recycled paper and board food contact materials derived from non-food contact paper and board. The German Trade Association of Paper Processing (WPV) criticizes that the proposed amendment only addresses mineral oil contamination arising from recycled paper and board, rather than generally regulating the migration of mineral oils into food. The association further points out that the draft amendment does neither set a legally enforceable migration limit nor does it specify an analytical method with which compliance can be demonstrated.
Read more
Draft proposal for the 21st amendment of the consumer product decree (in German)
