United Kingdom’s Parliament passes legislation to regulate food contact materials in case no deal is reached with the EU; copies current EU legislation with potential future trade impacts if EU laws further develop
UK plastics pact
UK WRAP alliance and Ellen MacArthur Foundation launch UK Plastics Pact uniting national stakeholders; platform part of international initiative The Plastics Pact aiming to accelerate transition towards new plastics economy
UK Plastics Pact 2025 roadmap
UK’s Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) publishes UK Plastics Pact roadmap to 2025, outlines key actions to take to tackle plastic pollution
UK government discusses toxic chemicals
UK House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee enquires into ‘Toxic chemicals in everyday life,’ hears evidence on chemical exposure, discusses post-Brexit regulatory situation for chemicals in products including food contact materials
Study measures PFAS in UK food packaging
Fidra publishes report testing for presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in 92 samples of fiber-based food packaging from UK supermarkets and take away restaurants; finds 18 have total organic fluorine levels above background concentration; highest concentrations in molded fiber take away boxes
Survey: Shoppers prefer safe products
Safer Chemicals Healthy Families surveys consumers to understand their view on toxic chemicals in products; observes strong preference for ‘safe and healthy products free of dangerous chemicals’
ACC: New principles for chemical risk assessment
American chemical trade association publishes new principles to guide chemical hazard and risk assessment; awaiting National Academy of Science reviews
UK requested to revise PFAS TDIs
NGO CHEM Trust asks UK government agency to revise tolerable daily intake (TDI) of PFOS and PFOA to match EFSA recommendation, consider ban of PFAS in food contact materials
ACC GlobalChem conference webinar series
American Chemistry Council (ACC) shifts presentations from canceled GlobalChem conference online; series of ten webinars to cover topics such as US Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) registration, microplastics, and global chemicals management
Guide for FCM regulation in the UK
UK’s Food Standards Agency releases food contact materials (FCM) authorization guide; no reauthorization needed for plastic or regenerated cellulose film additives authorized in the EU before January 1, 2021; application process for new substances will take up to 15 months; Northern Ireland will remain under EU rules