On February 28, 2022, the European Commission (EC) announced the opening of a consultation period on the use of styrene (CAS 100-42-5) as a food contact material. The Commission is seeking material “to support an informed decision-making process” on the possible creation of a migration limit for styrene into food. Food contact material stakeholders can contribute to the survey until April 11, 2022.
Styrene is currently authorized as a food contact material without a set migration limit. In 2020, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assessed the available information on styrene migration and health. EFSA determined styrene migration “is below 10 μg/kg for the majority of the foods” but can be as high as 230 µg/kg, especially when in contact with fatty foods or in packaging with high surface-to-volume ratios (FPF reported). However, EFSA ultimately concluded that there is a lack of information on styrene’s health effects. This is at odds with the 2018 classification by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that styrene is “probably carcinogenic to humans” and the US State of California adding the substance to its Proposition 65 list of carcinogens in 2016 (FPF reported here and here).
A study published in December 2021 found that in 56% of the dairy products and desserts assessed, styrene concentrations exceeded 10 µg/kg food (FPF reported). And a small four-study meta-analysis of styrene migration published in February 2022 calculated an overall mean of 91.53 µg styrene/ kg food (FPF reported).
EFSA’s 2020 conclusions, and comments about plastics testing procedures from PlasticsEurope, an industry trade group, have led to the opening of this survey period for information from a wider array of stakeholders.
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European Commission (February 2022). “Consultation: Survey on the use of styrene (FCM No. 193) in the manufacture of plastic and non-plastic food contact materials.”
