New regulations set migration limits and prohibit recycled plastics in packaging; enter into force in July
News Article
January 9, 2019
News Article
February 24, 2022
Science-based proposals for reducing packaging and increasing recycling rates
Researchers investigate packaging use and recycling as well as improvement options; find globalization and time-deprived society to majorly drive food packaging use and recommend economic degrowth to reduce use; report 11% of Spain’s plastic waste efficiently recycled, well below official reports from waste management companies; emphasize need to change material and packaging design to reach circularity targets
News Article
July 21, 2022
Plastics in a circular economy: research status, environmental leakage, food safety hazards
Recent studies perform semi-systematic review of published circular economy literature focusing on plastics over past 21 years, develop framework for plastics in circular economy; find Dutch food packaging plastic waste polluting oceans, question effectiveness of recycling; summarize chemical and microbial hazards related to circular food production systems
News Article
August 2, 2022
Plastics policy in the UK needs clarity and reform
Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic publish results from voluntary plastic waste audit of nearly 100,000 UK homes; finds UK households throw away nearly 100 billion pieces of plastic a year, 83% of which is from food and drinks; waste organizations within the country ask for stronger policies and more clarity on existing goals
News Article
April 22, 2021
Studies investigate circular economy barriers, consumer perceptions
Recent set of articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals review current barriers in flexible plastics to achieving circular economy, recommends regulatory policies be tailored to individual steps in supply chain; consumers easily confused by plastic waste management system, recycling processes, biodegradability claims; researchers instead propose food system shift towards decentralization, shorter supply chains
News Article
November 23, 2023
Study detects DNA-reactive, mutagenic substances in recycled PE, PP, and PS
119 plastic samples including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) tested for mutagenicity; no DNA-reactive, mutagenic substances in PET but in 51 of the other samples, making them unsafe, especially for food contact applications; recycling process identified as source; dataset of over 600 organic chemicals in recycled high-density PE pellets published
News Article
December 14, 2016
EDCs in urine of pregnant women
French human biomonitoring study reveals that most pregnant women have quantifiable levels of EDCs in their bodies
News Article
September 13, 2018
German packaging register online
Central German packaging register ‘LUCID’ launched; registration of packaged goods possible until January 1, 2019, when new German packaging law enters into force
News Article
February 13, 2017
In vitro bioassays for FCMs
Austrian research institute for chemistry and technology holds information event on bioassays for food contact materials on March 8, 2017 in Vienna
News Article
June 6, 2018
EU human biomonitoring conference
Austrian Presidency and EU Commission host conference on European Human Biomonitoring Initiative, September 28, 2018 in Vienna; registration open until June 30, 2018
