Mette Holm gives overview of approaches to FCM inspection and control by Danish Ministry of Environment and Food; latest monitoring study on PFAS in paper and board FCMs still finds intentional addition of PFAS; Denmark bans PFAS in paper and board FCM from 2020
FPF Workshop 2019: FCM oversight in Denmark
Sweden observes increase in hypospadias
Swedish researchers report increase in reproductive disorder, hypothesized to be linked to EDCs
European Commission limits BPA in toys
DG Enterprise limits BPA migration from toys to 0.1 mg/l; limit based on voluntary industry standard
Flame retardants above regulatory limits in some ‘eco-friendly’ baking papers
Study of bio-based food contact articles made of sugarcane bagasse or cellulose wood pulp labelled “natural”, “compostable”, or “biodegradable” finds PFAS and organophosphate esters (OPEs), a type of flame retardant and plasticizer; concentrations highest in baking papers; though purchased in Italy, some OPEs above EU regulatory concentration limit of 0.01 mg/kg
Campaign detects mineral oil hydrocarbons in European food products
Foodwatch publishes test results of 152 food products sampled across Europe; finds mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) in 12% of them at levels up to 82 mg/kg food; petition calls for EU leaders to recall contaminated products and implement a zero-tolerance rule prohibiting any detectable level in all foods
Assessment of PPSU for baby bottles
Scientists characterize intentionally and non-intentionally added substances in polyphenylsulfone material intended for baby bottles; analytical results and threshold of toxicological concern-based considerations suggest no safety concerns
Germany notifies WTO of MOAH restrictions
German authorities notify World Trade Organization (WTO) about intention to restrict mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) in food contact materials and articles made from recycled paper and board; sets migration limits into food (<0.5 mg/kg) and food simulant (<0.15 mg/kg); will come into effect three years after publication
Draft 15th amendment to EU plastic FCM regulation
EU Commission drafting new amendment for EU Regulation 10/2011 on plastic FCMs; authorizes new substances, decreases non-detect migration limits, adds migration limits for elements and metals
Formaldehyde and melamine migration from tableware
Italian scientists investigate migration of formaldehyde and melamine from children’s tableware made of melaware and other amino resins; specific and overall migration limits exceeded in some products; aging increases migration; migration cannot be predicted from product’s appearance