On July 5, 2016 Germany notified the European Commission (EC) of the Twenty-First Regulation amending the Consumer Goods Regulation, affecting inks for printing food contact materials (FCMs). The draft regulation generally applies to printed FCMs and articles such as packaging, napkins, cardboard cups, and paper plates. “In order to protect consumers from possible health risks involving printed food contact materials and articles, the draft Regulation makes provision for a list of substances permitted for use in printing inks for printing food contact materials and articles, including toxicologically derived maximum quantities for the transfer of these substances to foodstuffs (positive list),” the notification reads. Substances with insufficient toxicological data “may be used for food contact materials and articles where the printing does not come into direct contact with the foodstuff provided said substances do not migrate to foodstuffs from the printing inks (i.e. transfer ‘not detectable’ = 0.01 mg/kg of foodstuff).” Carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR) substances may not be used unless a safety assessment is available “that justifies their use or the derivation of limit values for transfer to foodstuffs and, hence, facilitates inclusion in the positive list.” The standstill for this notification ends on October 6, 2016 – before this date the decision on the draft regulation is pending.

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EC (July 5, 2016). “Twenty-First Regulation amending the Consumer Goods Regulation.

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