In the News

Voluntary Guidelines on EU's Food-Contact Paper Regulations Issued by Industry

Jun 4, 2010

Several European industry associations published voluntary guidelines for establishing compliance with food-contact paper and board regulations. The document, titled, "Industry Guideline for the Compliance of Paper & Board Materials and Articles for Food Contact," was developed by the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI), the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), the International Confederation of Paper and Board Converters in Europe (CITPA), and Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE).

The European Commission (EC) has not enacted specific legislation governing the use of food-contact paper and board materials. However, these materials must comply with European Union's (EU) Framework Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004. The recently published guidance is designed to assist manufacturers of paper and board materials in establishing compliance with the Framework Regulation. The authors also suggested that it could serve as the basis for future legislation. Specifically, the guidance states: "As well as providing a methodology for establishing the suitability of paper and board for particular food contact applications, it is envisaged that this Guideline could form the basis of a specific legislative measure in the future, a development that the paper-based packaging industry would welcome."