Scientists investigate in vitro toxicity of extracts from bioplastics and plant-based food contact articles; find strongest toxicity induced by cellulose- and starch-based products; emphasize similar toxicity profiles among bio-based, biodegradable, and conventional plastics
August 28, 2020
Salinity of fatty food could influence migration
JRC scientists investigate influence of salinity level of food simulants on migration; argue that not only fatty content but also salinity of food needs to be considered when choosing migration testing conditions for polar migrants
August 27, 2020
Safety of dishes made of wheat pulp or wood
Scientists analyze volatile compounds migrating from single-use dishes made of wheat pulp or wood; products considered safe for food contact use with respect to volatiles’ migration; migration of non-volatile substances and safety of high-temperature applications requires further study
August 27, 2020
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’
July 23, 2020
Uptake and internal distribution of PFAS
Scientists develop radiolabeling method to trace per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) uptake and distribution in mice; observe uptake in all organs, transport from mother to fetus across placenta; highest uptake in liver after tail vein administration, in lungs after oral gavage
July 23, 2020
Chemical analytics of novel food packaging
Scientists review chemical analytical approaches for food contaminants originating from packaging, including active packaging and novel biopolymers; call for thorough characterization of substances migrating from active packaging, including impurities, auxiliary compounds, potential biotransformation products
June 11, 2020
Upcoming FPF webinar on novel bioassays for FCMs
On June 30, 2020, the Food Packaging Forum (FPF) will hold a webinar featuring a presentation from Alan Bergmann from the Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology on recent research developing novel bioassays to improve testing of food contact materials (FCMs); method improves sensitivity of detecting estrogenicity within complex mixtures of chemicals
June 3, 2020
OECD and ILSI hold PFAS virtual events
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to hold webinar on developments in analytical and monitoring methods for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on June 11, 2020; International Life Sciences Institute (ISLI) to hold virtual symposium on scientific gaps for risk assessment of PFAS in food and food packaging on June 23, 2020
December 13, 2019
Proficiency test for cyclic oligomers analysis
EU Reference Laboratory for FCMs reports ‘satisfactory’ results of proficiency test focused on determination of cyclic oligomers from PET and PBT by national laboratories and control authorities
December 6, 2019
Human exposure to BPA systematically underestimated
New study shows that different measurement methods lead to large discrepancies in BPA human body burdens; human population exposed to higher levels of BPA than estimated using standard method; human health risk of BPA likely underestimated
