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Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark plan to propose a joint REACH restriction to limit the manufacture and use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). As a preliminary step, the national authorities of these countries have issued a request for data on the products and mixtures containing PFAS currently being used and produced in the European Union, and products using alternatives to PFAS. The call for data is open until July 31, 2020.

The British Plastics Federation (BPF) — in conjunction with the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) and the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) — developed guidelines on recycled content in plastic packaging. The guidelines, titled, Recycled Content Used In Plastic Packaging Applications, were designed for companies that intend to use recycled plastic content in food, drink, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical packaging, as well as for policymakers.

Many of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) Food-Contact Recommendations were updated in 2019 and published in February 2020. While these recommendations are not legally binding, they are widely respected by industry throughout the European Union.

The UK government implemented a tax on plastic packaging that does not contain at least 30% recycled content. The tax, which is scheduled to take effect in April 2022, is intended to encourage the use of recycled plastic and increase demand for recycled plastic. Additional information on the tax is available here

Dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) is among the substances that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is considering recommending for inclusion on the Authorization List (Annex XIV) under REACH. ECHA stated in a March 5 press release that DCHP (used as a plasticizer) should potentially be considered as a substance of very high concern due to its reporductive toxicity and endrocrinedisrupting properties.

On February 24, 2020, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) published a draft scientific opinion on the risks to human health related to the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food. The draft opinion recommends a tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 8 ng/kg bw per week for the sum of four PFAS: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).

On June 2, 2019, the European Parliament and Council adopted the Single-Use Plastics Directive, (EU) 2019/904, on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment.

Keller and Heckman Partners Rachida Semail and Jeff Keithline spoke at Smithers Pira’s Plastics and Paper in Contact with Foodstuffs 2019 Seminar, held in Amsterdam, Netherlands on December 2-5.