United States Senate Committee on Health Education Labor and Pensions approves addition of amendment to routine bill funding the Food and Drug Administration that would ban PFAS in food packaging in the US; if bill ultimately passes, the ban would go into effect January 1, 2024
April 28, 2022
Politico presents concerns about the US FDA
Politico reports the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lacks clear leadership managing food safety in the country, leading to delays and impacting the health of those living in the US; Environmental Working Group study finds nearly 99% of food chemicals added to the US market since 2000 were introduced through the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) rule
April 6, 2022
Global Food Contact Conference 2022: updates from the Americas
Smithers conference covers global developments in food contact regulations and materials; speakers on day one review recent and upcoming changes to food packaging regulations in the US, Canada, and the South American trade bloc Mercosur
February 18, 2022
PFAS alternatives have incomplete hazard profiles, says OECD
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports replacements for long-chain PFAS in paper and board food packaging have little or no available hazard information; examines 58 long-chain PFAS replacements: 10 have been formally reviewed by governmental authorities, 26 by industry, 18 have no hazard assessments; Environmental Health News reports US states to consider over 200 PFAS bills in 2022
February 15, 2022
US and France release statement supporting UN plastics treaty
At the One Ocean Summit on February 10, the United States and France delivered a joint statement supporting a global plastics treaty; agree treaty should address whole lifecycle of plastics and include binding commitments
