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On December 1, the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) published a new version of the Ordinance on Materials and Articles (817.023.21), which establishes certain requirements for food contact materials. The Ordinance is accompanied by several Annexes, consisting of “positive lists” of permitted substances for different uses, including plastics, cellulose films, ceramics and glass, silicone, and printing inks.

How are Colorants Regulated Under the Plastics Regulation?

What is the definition of a "colorant" and the definition of an "additive" in (EU) No 10/2011? Commercially purchased pigments (colorants) can...

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) accepted the European Commission’s (EC) mandate to re-evaluate styrene on October 15, 2019.

Denmark has notified the European Commission (EC) concerning its proposed ban of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in paper and cardboard food-contact materials (FCMs) unless the substances are prevented from migrating into food by a functional barrier. The draft notification proposes that paper and board FCMs not compliant with this new requirement, but that comply with the Framework Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004 and were placed on the market before 1 July 2020, may still be placed on the market until exhaustion of existing stocks. 

The cost of virgin PET fell below the cost of recycled PET (R-PET) in mid-2019 for the first time since 2008 (when S&P Global Platts first began assessing flake prices).

Denmark plans to ban all organic fluorinated compounds in paper and paperboard food-contact materials (FCMs). The ban is undergoing external consultation and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration expects the ban to take effect in July 2020, according to a press release (in Danish) issued on September 4. The use of recycled paper that contains fluorine would continue to be allowed but only if it is separated from the food by a functional barrier to migration.

How Do You Determine if a Functional Barrier Exists?

FDA does not provide specific criteria for what constitutes a functional barrier. We would like to test a material that would coat a cup made of...

The European Commission (EC) is currently working on the 15th amendment to the Plastics Regulation. In its present form, the draft proposes to: