Events Webinar

Health Effects and Sources of Melamine Exposure

Food Packaging Forum presentation during Collaborative on Health and the Environment’s webinar introduces melamine, its role in some food contact materials, and its associated hazards and legal requirements for use

Dossier

Melamine

Melamine is used to make resins and tableware, amongst other applications. The dossier summarizes applications, risks and regulations of the substance.

News Article

BfR statement on bamboo cups and tableware

German institute for risk assessment publishes position statement on melamine-formaldehyde resins, including tableware made with bamboo fibers; warns consumers against using such tableware with hot liquids; recommends lowering specific migration limit of formaldehyde in EU regulation from 15 to 6 mg/kg

News Article

Migration from bamboo-containing plastic FCMs

Scientists detect dozens of volatile and non-volatile substances migrating from ‘bamboo’ food packaging; melamine migration exceeding specific migration limit; conclude bamboo-melamine articles ‘a risk to consumer’s health,’ their promotion as biodegradable ‘a fraud to consumers’

News Article

Scientists investigate chemicals in plant-based materials

Review summarizes chemicals present in and migrating from food contact articles made with wood, bamboo, and other plant-based materials; researchers identify and quantify 25 non-volatile compounds from bamboo, palm leaf, wood and wheat pulp dishes; tentatively identify 115 non-volatile chemicals in extracts from six plant fiber/plastic composites; detect phthalates in Brazilian dry foods in cellulose-based packaging

News Article

Benelux demand market withdrawal of bamboo plastics

Belgium, Luxembourg, and Netherlands (Benelux) publish joint letter calling for market withdrawal of ‘bamboo melamine plastics’; reminds readers that products do not comply with article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 10/2011; Benelux national authorities plan to reinforce market controls from second quarter of 2021, pursue violators

News Article

FPF Workshop 2020: Hazardous chemicals in FCMs

Stefan Merkel presents recent work of German Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR); Lisa Zimmermann discusses bioassay-based toxicity assessment of conventional plastics, bioplastics, and plant-based materials; Andrew Turner emphasizes presence of toxic brominated flame retardants in recycled plastics, uses of hazardous heavy metals in colored decorations applied to glass articles