Government publishes final regulatory text, substance approval linked to persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic properties; identity of new substances to be made publicly available after maximum period of 5 years; comes into force on January 1, 2021
RIVM: Annual report 2016 online
Dutch institute for public health and environment (RIVM) publishes annual report 2016
Food contact plastics seminar 2018
European Plastic Converters Association holds Food Contact Plastics Seminar on April 19-20, 2018 in Brussels
EEB conference 2016 report
European Environmental Bureau publishes proceedings of its 2016 annual conference; sessions addressed policy needs in circular economy and sustainability, climate and energy, and biodiversity
High-pressure effects on flexible packaging
High-pressure processing can change functional structures and migration potential from flexible packaging materials; coated and laminated structures most sensitive; more research needed to find most suitable materials and packaging designs
EFSA to deliver scientific opinion on endocrine disruptors
EFSA will report on human health and environmental risks from endocrine disruptors in the food chain
7th meeting of EFSA's FCM Network
7th meeting of EFSA’s Food Contact Materials Network takes place on November 6-7, 2019, in Parma, Italy; focus on plastics and microplastics, assessment of mixtures, prioritization strategies for non-harmonized FCMs
EFSA: Safety assessment alkyl ester polymer
Published safety assessment finds co-polymer containing modified C10-16 alkyl esters safe for use in food contact plastics under set conditions
EFSA safety assessment of PVC additive
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) panel publishes safety assessment of di(m-2,20,200-nitrilotris(ethanol)-diperchlorato)dinatrium as a thermal stabilizer additive up 0.15% by weight in rigid reusable polyvinyl chloride (PVC) water bottles
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