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The Scientific Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM Panel) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently released an updated risk assessment of mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH). The European Commission (EC) had requested the re-evaluation in 2020 as it considered whether to establish maximum levels for MOH in certain food items.

On March 22, 2023, the European Chemicals Agency started a consultation on a

On July 25, 2023, the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced that implementation of a new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for packaging will be delayed one year until October 2025. The EPR system would apply to all UK organizations that import or supply packaging and would place the financial cost of managing products once they reach end of life on these business operators. 

The European Commission (EC) has announced that it is working on a measure to further restrict the intentional use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food contact materials (FCMs). The EC hosted a webinar on July 18, 2023, to outline what may be included in forthcoming BPA legislation.

The Netherlands published a two-tiered rule that will soon impose a tax on disposable plastic cups and food packaging used for carryout and delivery consumption and eventually ban disposable plastic cups and food packaging for dine-in use. 

The United Kingdom (UK) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs issued a Guidance on how to prepare for a ban on single-use plastic items that will be effective in England on October 1, 2023 [see Environmental Protection (Plastic

As previously reported, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) overhauled its recommendations for food-contact rubber in 2021 (article available here). The three recommendations now applicable to rubber are:

The European Commission (EC) has published a draft implementing decision that outlines rules for calculating, verifying, and reporting on recycled plastic content in single-use plastic beverage bottles.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) lowered the tolerable daily intake (TDI) of bisphenol A (BPA) from 4 micrograms per kilogram body weight (µg/kg bw) per day to 0.2 nanograms (ng) per kilogram of body weight per day based on a re-evaluation of the substance. The re-evaluation of BPA was conducted by EFSA’s Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP).