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Proposed changes to California’s Proposition 65 short form warning and concerns about over-warning were among the topics discussed at the Proposition 65 Clearinghouse Annual Meeting, held virtually on September 27, 2021.

On September 30, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prevailed in the federal lawsuit brought by the Center for Food Safety and the Environmental Defense Fund challenging FDA’s final rule, titled, Substances Generally Recognized as Safe. The U.S.

Why Are Some Resin Codes in a Solid Triangle and Others in Chasing Arrows?

I believe ASTM took over administration of the Resin Identification Codes and issued a standard (ASTM D7611) that changed the recycling arrow...

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1200, known as the California Safer Food Packaging Cookware Act of 2021, on October 5, 2021. The bill bans the use of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging composed in substantial part of paper, paperboard, or other materials derived from plant fibers. It also requires warning labels on cookware to which PFAS was intentionally added.

On October 5, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 343, Truth in Labeling for Recyclable Materials. This bill is intended to reduce recycling contamination and consumer confusion with respect to recycling.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new version of its Guidance for Industry: Microbiological Considerations for Antimicrobial Agents Used in Food Applications (September 2021). This guidance replaces a previous guidance on this topic that was issued in September 2007 and revised in June 2008. 

Colorado’s Plastic Pollution Reduction Act eliminates a law that prohibits municipalities from passing ordinances banning the use or sale of certain types of plastic materials. The Act, HB21-1162, which was signed into law by Governor Jared Polis on July 6, 2021, will phase out single-use plastic bags and polystyrene cups and containers, in addition to reversing a law that pre-empts local plastic bans.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) testing continues to show that the majority of foods do not contain detectable levels of 16 different types of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Testing results released by the agency on August 26, 2021, showed that 164 of 167 foods tested had no detectable levels of any of the 16 PFAS measured. The three food samples that had detectable levels were: fish sticks, canned tuna, and protein powder. The test results were from FDA’s first survey of nationally distributed processed foods collected for the Total Diet Study (TDS).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently added twelve new substances to its Inventory of Effective Food Contact Substances (FCS) Notifications. The newly listed substances and the manufacturers are listed below.