France announces ban on sale of unprocessed fruits and vegetables packaged in plastic from January 1, 2022; will not apply to products over 1.5 kg, sensitive fruits, and vegetables; use of stickers on individual fruits and vegetables not allowed unless made from paper or compostable materials; rules to apply to all produce
EPA: Priority substances for TSCA evaluation
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prioritizes 20 substances to undergo risk evaluation according to Toxic Substances Control Act; list includes several solvents, phthalates, flame retardants, chemical intermediates with food contact relevance; public consultation now open
2023 FPF Workshop: Assessing and implementing safe and sustainable FCMs
In the afternoon of the Food Packaging Forum’s 11th annual workshop, speakers shared businesses experiences on the path towards more safe and sustainable food packaging; five talks and one panel discussion present opportunities, challenges, and case studies; representatives from several large international businesses shared approaches their organizations use to respond to safety and sustainability challenges; reusable packaging founders discuss the unique issues of changing the food packaging field
Wrestling with the externalities of the plastics supply chain
As the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee of the UN Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution approaches, publications highlight the diverse effects the plastics supply chain has on human health and the environment, particularly the burden on vulnerable communities
UNEP launches GCO II synthesis report
Synthesis report of the Global Chemicals Outlook released during 4th United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi; full report to be released in April 2019
2024 food contact chemical and material policy outlook
Public and political concerns related to chemical exposures, human health, and environmental pollution continue to grow; brief overview of some of the EU, US, and UN policies and projects that FPF is tracking in 2024
EFSA working group updates in March 2020
Minutes from recent meetings of the EFSA CEP panel and working groups on bisphenol A, FCMs, and recycling plastics published; 13th CEP Panel plenary meeting on April 28-30, 2020 open to observers, registration open until April 24
Plastic recycling: company commitments and chemical safety challenges
Scientists report most large companies commit to reducing plastic pollution but focus on recycling; extrusion of recycled materials and legacy compounds in recycled materials as safety challenge; some substances increase others decrease with the increase in recycled content in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles; tentatively identify 212 volatile chemicals in 57 different recycled PET flakes available in China; present migration model to characterize the exposure and risk of PET oligomers
Bisphenol S
Bisphenol S is used as a substitute of BPA in food contact materials, in a new context article the Food Packaging Forum reports on applications, toxicity, exposure and regulation of BPS
EU Commission’s Working Group on FCMs
EU Working Group on FCMs discusses BPA, amendments to EU 10/2011, mineral oil migration, authorization of recycling processes, migration testing guidelines