On July 11, 2023, civil society organization Zero Waste Europe published a report reviewing current EU regulations addressing the safety of food packaging. The report highlights a set of shortcomings within current European Union (EU) regulations concerning chemicals in food contact materials (FCMs) and urges for more effective measures.
The authors argue that the FCM regulations currently applied in the EU are inconsistent, incomplete, and generally lack a holistic approach towards circularity and the chemical safety of materials. Many known hazardous chemicals are still permitted in food packaging, such as bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7), phthalates, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (FPF reported). The document explains that their “evaluation of FCM law indicated that, often, it simply cannot be concluded if food packaging placed on the market is actually safe. Protection of human health is, therefore, not maximised.” While some materials such as plastics have fairly extensive regulations, ZWE is concerned that only five of the 17 FCM categories on the market are covered by harmonized rules at the EU level (FPF reported), leaving the majority of the categories without consistent guidelines to ensure safety.
The authors further point out that valuable information is lost throughout the FCM supply chain since information on chemical identity and safety-related aspects is not transparently communicated between suppliers and customers. Thus, users downstream in the supply chain often miss critical information needed to comply with FCM regulations or answer queries from their customers. This makes risk assessment difficult and impedes appropriate enforcement of current regulations. “Declarations of compliance are often incorrectly filled-in and incomplete,” states the report (FPF reported).
The authors stress that the upcoming EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) provides a valuable opportunity to better regulate and harmonize the chemical safety of food packaging alongside other sustainability aspects (FPF reported). Finally, Zero Waste Europe recommends that:
- when developing circular economy models, chemical safety must not be forgotten;
- known hazardous chemicals be phased out and all food packaging articles are ensured to be safe;
- rules on harmful substances are applied to all materials and packaging articles, striving for harmonized EU rules;
- a reformed FCM legislation should introduce the principle of ‘no data, no market’, meaning that products with untested chemicals shall not be allowed on the market.
Reference
Zero Waste Europe (July 11, 2023) “Food packaging: Safety first.”
