5th annual Food Packaging Forum workshop attracts 90+ FCM stakeholders and experts to discuss scientific challenges in safety assessment of food contact materials; video recordings, presentation slides, summary articles now available online
FPF Workshop 2017: Ensuring the safety of FCMs in a global economy
Presentations and podium discussion at Food Packaging Forum 2017 workshop cover risk communication, the role of testing labs and enforcement, regulatory updates, and transparency issues
FPF Workshop 2017: Chinese legislation for FCMs
Marco Zhong from China’s National Reference Laboratory for Food Contact Materials presents the ongoing reform of Chinese legislation for FCMs, discusses challenges for regulation, enforcement, and compliance
FPF Workshop 2017: Science is not value-free
Karim Bschir from ETH Zurich argues that ‘good science is not value-free’ because scientists routinely make value-based judgments; he proposes that scientists should make their values explicit
FPF Workshop 2017: Toxicological assessments and migration testing
Experts from academia, food industry and authorities present scientific and practical challenges in toxicological assessments and migration measurements
EU urged to authorize recycling for food contact
Industry association Plastics Recyclers Europe calls on EU Commission to officially authorize EFSA-evaluated processes for use of recycled plastics in food contact applications
EU Parliament vetoes EDC criteria
EU Parliament’s vote rejects EU Commission’s proposal for EDC identification criteria for pesticides; asks to remove exemption for the substances with intended endocrine mode of action, deliver new proposal ‘without delay’
WHO: Environmental risk factors and noncommunicable diseases
World Health Organization publishes new report highlighting contribution of environmental factors, including exposure to chemicals, to noncommunicable diseases burden
BfR: 18th Meeting on consumer goods and FCMs
German Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) publishes minutes of advisory committee meeting discussing European and German legislation on FCMs, migration issues, novel substances for food contact
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