Senate hearing discusses ways to tackle marine plastic pollution; call for container deposit scheme and end to consuming ‘disposable plastics’
Updated Swiss FCM regulation enters into force
New Swiss food law including FCM ordinance entered into force May 1, 2017; many CMR-substances deleted from positive list for printing inks
Stakeholders discuss FCM regulatory evaluation
Discussions at EU Commission stakeholder event call for harmonized regulation of other food contact materials; REACH proposed as potential data source; concerns expressed regarding proposed ‘one-in, one-out’ approach for new laws within incoming Commission
EU conference on chemicals policy 2030
European Commission hosts multi-stakeholder conference on chemicals policy; discusses setting criteria for green and sustainable chemistry, chemicals in the circular economy, and fair competition from foreign manufacturers
Study on microplastics’ effects on fish retracted
Science retracts article on effects of microplastics on fish due to loss of raw data, lack of ethical approval for animal experiments, and lack of clarity on conducted experiments
Environmental fate of biodegradable bags
Plastic bags labeled as ‘biodegradable’ remain intact after 3 years in marine environment, scientists report; bioplastics industry criticizes study design, interpretation
Bulk food in supermarkets: growth and challenges
Article by Civil Eats discusses the rise of bulk food dispensers in grocery stores to reduce food packaging and challenges they face; presents initiatives from larger chains including re-use of customers’ containers; addresses food safety concerns, need for educating consumers
About Us
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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEaNm2xz9O0 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 […]
Letter from EU Health Commissioner on FCM concerns
European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety responds to CHEM Trust regarding concerns with current EU food contact material legislation, recognizes stakeholder concerns, promises to move ahead with prioritization of harmful substances including endocrine disruptors
China approves new and expanded usage of FCMs
Law firm Keller and Heckman publishes a summary of China’s recently approved uses of 19 materials and substances for food contact; includes three new food contact chemicals (FCCs), seven new resins, and expanded usage of nine other materials; three substances are in the Food Packaging Forum’s food contact chemicals database as either a priority hazardous substance or substance of potential concern