The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently added three new substances to its Inventory of Effective Food Contact Substances (FCS) Notifications. The newly listed substances and the manufacturers are listed below.
On October 25th, the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act was reintroduced in both the Senate and the House of Representatives (H.R.6053 and S.3127). If enacted, the bill would create an extended producer responsibility (EPR) policy and establish source reduction targets for single-use plastic products and beverage containers.
On November 3, 2023, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA) solicited comments on one resin. The resin is Undecanoic acid, 11-amino-, homopolymer (CAS No. 25587-80-8), which is to be cleared for use in plastics. The specific migration level (SML) is 5 mg/kg for 11-amino undecanoic acid and the maximum use level is the necessary dosage. Plastic materials and articles containing this substance may not contact food with an alcohol content above 50%. In addition, the use temperature may not exceed 100°C. The time period for contacting food may not exceed one hour.
On November 6, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the full implementation of its updated Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) Online Submission Module (COSM). Updates to COSM allow stakeholders to send fully electronic regulatory submissions, including food-contact notifications (FCNs), directly to FDA’s Office of Food Additive Safety (OFAS), thereby eliminating the need to use FDA’s Electronic Submission Gateway (ESG).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently added two new substances to its Inventory of Effective Food Contact Substances (FCS) Notifications. The newly listed substances and the manufacturers are listed below.
On October 23, 2023, Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released an updated draft rule, 06-096 C.M.R. Chapter 80 (“Reduction of Toxics in Packaging”), on the implementation of the State’s Toxics in Packaging Law. The draft rule imposes a sales prohibition for certain food packaging containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and also prohibits the sale of food packaging to which phthalates have been intentionally introduced in more than incidental amounts.
On September 25, 2023, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) published 85 National Food Safety Standards for food, food additives, food-related products, and various testing methods. Below is a brief summary of the key food-contact standards, including one of migration testing.
Importers of Finished Articles Made with PFAS Must Also Report
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a final rule that requires the reporting of extensive information on potentially thousands of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). It captures all PFAS compounds manufactured or imported into the U.S.
On October 7, 2023, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) approved expanded usage for three food-contact materials and two new resins. The substances and specifications are listed below.
Expanded Usage Food-Contact Materials
While the current Food Contact Notification (FCN) process serves the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) reassessment initiative, the Agency is in the process of implementing changes that will support FDA’s efforts to establish a framework for routing systematic review of food-contact substances (FCS) through ongoing monitoring after they are on the market.