Engineer estimates U.S. plastic recycling rate below 5% in 2018, calls for ‘real solutions’ to plastic pollution such as reduced production of single-use plastics, implementation of deposit schemes
Scientists explore international bisphenol levels in packaging, food, and urine
Four studies investigate bisphenol (BP) migration from packaging, occurrence in foodstuff, and human urine; report BPA migration from Nigerian epoxy-coated cans into malt drinks; detect four bisphenols in packaged water and honey samples; find BPS in Canadian meat products from 2008 to 2020 suggesting BPS is not a recent phenomenon; measure higher bisphenol alternative levels in Belgian population in 2018 than 2015
PFAS testing prompts packaging changes from US retailers, restaurants
Consumer Reports tests 118 food packaging products from 24 US fast food and grocery chains; finds PFAS in over half of the products; nearly one third of packaging products contain over 20 ppm and 22 over 100 ppm organic fluorine; several brands commit or re-commit to removing intentionally added PFAS from their packaging
State of the science and regulation – microplastics and nanoplastics
California State Policy Evidence Consortium and DG Environment publish reports on the abundance, health effects and (potential) regulations on microplastics and nanoplastics, respectively; first finds most regulations come from California or EU and concern banning microbeads or mandating more research; second argues against a lower size cutoff of nanoplastics since the smaller the plastic particles, the more likely they can cross biological membranes
No higher limit for PBDEs in recycled plastics
EU Parliament adopts POPs Regulation Recast but rejects amendment to increase maximum concentration limit for persistent organic pollutants such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers in recycled plastics
EU Farm to Fork Strategy announces timeline for FCM revisions
European Commission publishes strategy aiming to change how Europeans value food sustainability; confirms that current EU regulations on food contact materials (FCMs) will be revised to reduce use of hazardous chemicals and support re-usable packaging solutions; proposed revision to be released end of 2022
EFSA working group on FCMs: 29th meeting
Updated meeting minutes of EFSA’s CEF Panel working group on food contact materials now available online
EDCs: Sweden vs. European Commission
Sweden’s case against the European Commission for delaying the setting of EDC criteria: Hearing at European Court of Justice in Luxembourg
CEF Panel: 75th plenary meeting
EFSA’s CEF Panel discusses PET recycling processes, new mandate for evaluating food contact chemical, safety assessment of phthalates and BPA in FCMs at 75th plenary meeting, held June 5-7, 2018
Denmark to ban PFAS in paper & board in 2020
Danish Ministry of Environment and Food announces plan to ban the use of organic fluorinated substances in cardboard and paper used in food contact materials; ban to take effect by July 2020