In an article published on March 14, 2018 by regulatory news provider Chemical Watch, editor Julie A. Miller informed that the agency Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has decided not to regulate food packaging materials. In October 2017, FSANZ published an abandonment report, summarizing the agency’s assessment of chemical migration from packaging into food and associated public health and safety risks (FPF reported). FSANZ concluded that dietary exposure to food packaging chemicals is low and does not present a public health and safety concern. Thus, the proposal to regulate food packaging was abandoned.
According to Leise Berven, senior scientist at FSANZ, industry stakeholders were in favor of food packaging guidance. Therefore, FSANZ is working with Australia’s and New Zealand’s Food and Grocery Councils on releasing non-regulatory guidelines on food packaging. FSANZ will also continue to investigate issues concerning active and intelligent packaging, as well as nanomaterials. Further, Berven noted that many companies selling packaged food in Australia also market their products in the U.S. and the EU, where food contact materials (FCMs) are regulated. This could explain why FSANZ found low levels of packaging chemicals in food, she suggested.
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Julie A. Miller (March 14, 2018). “Australia and New Zealand will not regulate food packaging.” Chemical Watch
