Consulting company Gartner Inc. predicts 90% of sustainable packaging commitments will not be met by 2025
November 3, 2021
EFSA CEP Panel updates from July to October 2021
Minutes available from recent meetings of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP Panel) working groups on food contact materials (FCMs), bisphenol A (BPA), recycling plastics, phthalates, and extraction solvents
October 4, 2021
East Asian nations update food packaging guidelines
South Korea updates Standards and Specifications for Utensils, Containers, and Packages; releases 2021 Food and Drug Safety White Paper; China updates precision level on food packaging migration requirements; Taiwan to monitor the use of nitrogen in food packaging; Hong Kong statutory authority encourages stricter standards for silicone food contact articles
September 6, 2021
FPF comments on UN food systems summit strategy paper
Food Packaging Forum director comments on report outlining food packaging opportunities for the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit; suggests including plastic pollution as a food systems issue for discussion
July 8, 2021
Which plastic food containers are safe to reuse?
Food Packaging Forum fact sheets introduce the concept of chemical migration into food as well as the properties of five common material types used in food packaging
July 5, 2021
Food Packaging and Recycling
Fact sheets Food Packaging and recycling Learn about five food packaging material types including their applications, material properties, chemical safety, and end-of-life options; understand how recyclability and chemical safety of food packaging are interconnected Fact sheets Plastic Download Paper and Board Download Metal Download Glass Download Multimaterial Download About Food Packaging Materials Food packaging is essential for transporting, storing, handling, and preserving food. The most common food packaging materials are different types of plastic polymers, paper and board, metal, glass, […]
June 15, 2021
Food packaging identified as primary source of aquatic litter
Nature Sustainability publishes research integrating litter inventories from seven aquatic environments around the globe; finds food packaging makes up the largest share of litter in all aquatic environments (50-88%), except the open ocean; of 112 litter types, 10 make up 75% of litter; top 4 items come from food packaging (44% of total): plastic bags, plastic bottles, food containers, cutlery, and wrappers
May 17, 2021
Study finds PFAS in 100% of sampled breastmilk
Environmental Science and Technology publishes study in which 100% of milk samples from breast-feeding mothers contained at least one of 39 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); Phased-out PFOS and PFOA were most abundant compounds but currently used short-chain PFAS such as PFHpA and PFHpA detected in majority of samples and becoming more common; The Guardian reports chemical companies hid risks about short-chain PFAS in food packaging
May 12, 2021
Nature Food study finds gaps in food system plastics research
Systematic scoping review assesses the research literature covering plastic’s effects on human health, the environment, and food security/economics through the entire food system from 2000 through 2018; includes over 3,300 studies; found majority of previous research focused on food security/economics; identified gaps related to studies on the effect of plastics on human health, meta-analyses, and research within low-income nations
May 5, 2021
Study: migration into dry foods higher than US FDA assumption
Comprehensive literature review in the journal Food Additives and Contaminants investigates substance migration into dry foods and food simulants; review analyses: foods off store shelves, foods and food simulants in experimental settings, food particle characteristics, and packaging material; finds migration commonly exceeds 50 µg/kg assumed migration rate of dry foods according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
