Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) publishes overview report on plastic types, additives, and associated health impacts; illustrates life cycle of contained chemicals and resulting exposures; calls for revisions to regulations to be protective, consistent, anticipatory, communicative
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
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
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’
Free online course to inform about food packaging safety
University of Torino to launch five-week virtual course on November 9, 2020; aims to inform broad audience about the potential health risks of packaging and food contact materials, how research contributes towards safer packaging, and the role of governments, industry, and consumers
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
PFAS in paper packaging and factors influencing its migration
Scientists screen PFAS in paper and board packaging, observe decreasing trend in European samples; find opposite migratory behavior of short and long chain PFAS into ethanolic food simulants, highlight significant underestimation of migration to foodstuffs when using Tenax® food simulant
BEF Germany brochure on FCMs and chemicals
Non-governmental organization Baltic Environmental Forum Germany (BEF) publishes brochure providing general introduction and overview of hazardous chemicals in food contact materials (FCMs), common material types, tips for reducing exposure
Code Check on reducing exposure to hazardous food packaging chemicals
Article by product ingredient transparency app Code Check provides overview of some hazardous chemicals that can be present in food packaging; provides tips for reducing exposure