About the food packaging forum

At the Food Packaging Forum, we enable stakeholders to make better decisions: We share the latest science on chemicals in food contact materials and on the environmental impacts of food packaging.

Why a forum on food packaging?

Food is essential to health and wellbeing. And food packaging plays a critical role in the storage of food, but it also has many other important functionalities in today’s complex, globalized food systems. Food packaging and food processing equipment that are free from hazardous chemicals and that do not contain unknown or untested chemicals are beneficial to society, because they do not negatively impact human health. Food packaging that is made from inert materials and works in closed loops helps to protect the environment.

But today, food packaging and other food contact articles can contain thousands of different chemical substances. Some of these chemicals are known to be hazardous to humans and the environment, and many can transfer into food and harm consumers or transfer into the environment and harm wildlife. Most articles today are also still being used within a linear economy that results in an overuse of resources and detrimental environmental pollution.

The Food Packaging Forum reviews, structures, synthesizes and communicates current, scientific knowledge as well as the relevant knowledge gaps to different decision makers across the entire life cycle of food contact materials and articles. This includes to experts in academia, civil society, industry, regulatory authorities, and media. Our work enables knowledge-based change with the aim of better protecting humans and the environment from the negative impacts of food packaging and other types of food contact articles.

Our Mission

The Food Packaging Forum enables stakeholders to make better decisions by applying the latest science on chemicals in food contact materials and on the environmental impacts of food packaging. Through its independent, balanced, and science-based publications and tools, the Food Packaging Forum contributes to protecting human and environmental health.

We are an operational foundation for science communication and scientific research.

We develop and provide independent, science-based, and balanced information and tools that are accessible and understandable.

We establish dialogue and cooperation between stakeholders and enable them to apply the latest science to their decision making.

We work at the science-policy interface to provide the scientific evidence needed for informed policymaking.

We identify knowledge gaps and support establishing research needed to address them.

Our Target Audiences

Our work is primarily focused on supporting and connecting:

FPF Fact Sheet FINAL-08

How We Work

The Food Packaging Forum is a foundation and as such a charitable, non-profit organization registered and based in Zurich, Switzerland. Our work is carried out by a dedicated team of scientists, engineers, and project managers with support from a Scientific Advisory Board and oversight from a Foundation Board. We operate using funding from unconditional donations, foundation grants, and are involved as funded partners in public research projects.

At the Food Packaging Forum

We work in the interest of the public. Our concern is protecting human and environmental health and raising awareness for issues that will impact it.

We believe that an informed public is the foundation of democracy. We enable and support choice making by providing balanced and independent information to the public.

We contribute to the knowledge society by placing scientific findings in the context of scientific knowledge.

We share scientific findings and clearly state the source of original work. We respect and acknowledge the work of other scientists and journalists. We do not claim authorship untruthfully, nor do we resume responsibility in the case of scientific fraud committed by others.

We clearly state our expertise and qualifications. We act with skill and care, and we keep our skills up to date.

We work professionally, honestly, and with personal integrity. We abide by the letter of the law. We do not mislead, and we present all evidence honestly.

We share personal opinions but clearly label them as such. In particular, we refrain from presenting opinions as scientific facts.

We receive donations that support our work but do not influence its content. Neither the scientific assessments nor the dissemination of information is biased towards any particular interests that donors may have.

We share all of our funding sources and avoid conflicts of interest.

We respect the environment and all living beings. We conduct all our activities in line with existing knowledge and aim to minimize our environmental impact.

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