Discussions at EU Commission stakeholder event call for harmonized regulation of other food contact materials; REACH proposed as potential data source; concerns expressed regarding proposed ‘one-in, one-out’ approach for new laws within incoming Commission
FDA denies action on perchlorates in antistatics
U.S. FDA supports industry petition and revokes use of potassium perchlorate in sealing gaskets for food containers; denies action on NGO petition to revoke perchlorate use in antistatic agents in food contact articles
12 additional substances for authorization
EU Commission announces the planned addition of 12 substances to the REACH Authorization List, set to be added in October 2019
Opinion: Loopholes in proposed EU laws for single-use plastics
Rethink Plastic alliance of NGOs warns that definition of single-use items is ‘too narrow,’ allowing to avoid bans or reduction measures by marketing them as reusable; NGOs deliver petition to EU Parliament ahead of vote on single-use plastics regulation on October 22, 2018
EFSA: Safety assessment of PET recycling process
EFSA’s CEF Panel considers ‘BTB PET direct IV+’-recycled PET safe for contact with all foodstuffs for long-term storage at room temperature, with or without hotfill; trays made of this recycled PET not to be used in microwave and ovens
EU Commission taking action on FCMs
NGO CHEM Trust outlines European Commission’s ongoing and upcoming activities to improve regulation of food contact materials
NIAS migration from plastic wine corks
Scientific study uses non-targeted chemical analysis to provide an overview of chemicals migrating from 8 wine corks made of ethylene-vinyl acetate; identifies 50 compounds, 84% non-intentionally added substances (NIAS); finds one cork not suitable as food contact material
WEF webinar discusses plastic pollution and the green recovery
World Economic Forum (WEF) webinar features presentations investigating environmental challenges created by COVID-19 pandemic; discusses effects on the shift away from single-use plastics and on ability to recycle, reviews strategies for moving forward
Web stream available for EFSA conference
EFSA conference on food safety on October 14-16, 2015 in Milan, Italy can be followed live via web stream; questions for Q&A sessions can be submitted via Twitter or EFSA-Expo website
EFSA releases 2nd update to OpenFoodTox database
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) update adds 150 substances from 200 additional scientific assessments; future versions of database to expand coverage of chemical properties to metabolism, bioaccumulation, and exposure data