DOCSLIB.ORG

U.S. and EU Requirements for Recycled Food Contact Materials

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
U.S. and EU Requirements for Recycled Food Contact Materials PACKAGING By George G. Misko way of its food additive regulations (21 U.S. and EU Requirements C.F.R. Sections 170 et seq.) or through the Food Contact Notification program. FDA does not, however, mandate spe- for Recycled Food Contact cial regulatory review or preclearance of recycled food contact materials. This is because FDA regulates food contact Materials materials based on their composition, not on the specific process by which they are manufactured or the source of their raw materials. Accordingly, re- Food manufacturers are cycled food contact material must meet the same regulatory specifications that responsible for ensuring that food virgin material is required to meet (with the exception of paper, see below). Re- packages comply with applicable cycled food contact materials also must comply with the FDA Good Manufac- regulatory requirements turing Practices (GMP) requirements that apply to food contact materials (21 C.F.R. Section 174.5), which require, reen is in. And although one must be con- among other things, packaging materi- cerned with the types of environmental als to be of a purity suitable for their claims made for recycled materials that may intended use. be used in food packaging, one should be Since recycled food contact materi- just as concerned that such materials com- als don’t require preclearance from Gply with the legal requirements pertaining to their safe FDA, a company can establish to its use. own satisfaction—using scientifically In this regard, the use of recycled materials in food sound methods—that a recycled material packaging applications is governed by the same prin- complies with the existing regulations ciples that apply to all food packaging. Namely, in the and is suitably pure for its intended U.S., the packaging materials must comply with any use. Or a company can establish an ac- applicable regulations and must meet the suitable pu- ceptable regulatory status for a recycled rity requirements of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act food contact material by demonstrat- (FD&C Act). In the European Union (EU), the materials ing through appropriately conducted must comply with any applicable EU or Member State extraction studies or calculations that it legislation (depending on whether the recycled material is not reasonably expected to become is plastic or paper) and must meet the safety require- a component of food and therefore is ments outlined in the EU Framework Regulation. Safety not a food additive under the FD&C requirements in this context generally mean the product Act when used as intended (just as one is suitably pure so that it will not adulterate the food it may for a virgin material). Because FDA contains. can challenge a determination of this Below is a summary of the regulatory systems govern- sort postmarket (although that doesn’t ing recycled food contact materials in the U.S. and the happen very often), and because some EU. product end-users demand it, some companies that produce recycled food U.S. Regulation of Recycled Food Contact contact materials will also request FDA Materials to review their determinations and issue The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gen- a letter of no objection if the agency erally regulates the use of materials in food packaging by agrees with the determination. R EP R INTED F R OM F OOD S AFETY M AGAZINE , O CTOBE R /N OVEMBE R 2013, WITH PE R MI ss ION OF THE PUBLI S HE rs . © 2013 by T h e T a r g eT g r o u p • w w w . f o o d s a f eT y m ag a z i n e . co m PACKAGING Recycled Plastic: FDA provided guid- contaminant level equivalent to an EDI been used to hold or ship poisonous or ance on the use of recycled plastics in of 1.5 µg/day would be 220 µg/kg. deleterious substances. This regulation its August 2006 document, “Guidance FDA’s guidance on surrogate con- does not, however, require that addi- for Industry: Use of Recycled Plastics in taminant testing recommends exposing tives found in the recycled pulp must Food Packaging: Chemistry Consider- virgin flake or bottles from feedstock comply with the regulations applicable ations.” In this guidance, FDA discusses that contain only food contact materials to paper (21 C.F.R. Sections 176.170 some specific issues manufacturers to surrogate cocktails of contaminants et seq.). Food contact pulp, including should address in establishing the safety for 2 weeks at 40 °C. If the feedstock recycled pulp, must be suitably pure and regulatory compliance of recycled may include non-food contact materi- for its intended use. There are currently polymers for food als, virgin flake, not three approaches used to establish the packaging, including bottles, should be suitable purity of recycled pulp, namely, the need for recyclers “…the use of recycled exposed to higher batch testing, surrogate testing or no- to ensure that possible concentrations of sur- discernible-difference testing. contaminants from materials in food rogates for 2 weeks Batch testing involves baseline sam- prior use are removed at 40 °C. Surrogate pling with an initial test to establish that sufficiently by the re- concentrations must a mill produces suitably pure recycled cycling process. packaging applications be equal to or greater paper. It focuses on a comprehensive There are three than the sorption val- list of unintentional chemical contami- types of plastics recy- is governed by the ues provided by FDA nants, including heavy metals, pesticides cling operations: 1) in the guidance. Once and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), primary recycling (e.g., surrogate exposure is volatile and semivolatile organics and industrial scrap); 2) same principles that completed and the dioxins. Pass/fail criteria—based on secondary recycling flake or bottles are demonstrating potential exposure below (e.g., physical repro- apply to all food rinsed, the cleaning thresholds of concern for a specific cessing, such as grind- and recycling process chemical—are used. Periodic, focused ing, melting, reform- is followed and then sampling, or follow-up testing of com- ing); and 3) tertiary packaging.” residual contaminant mon and mill-specific contaminants, is recycling (or regenera- levels may be deter- also required to confirm that contami- tion of purified starting materials, such mined. nants of high concern remain within re- as by methanolysis or glycolysis). Re- Suitable purity of the resin is es- quired limits. The trick here, of course, cyclers can establish suitable purity for tablished if the data show that these is determining the list of substances that secondary and tertiary recycling opera- residual levels are below those noted in should be examined. tions by demonstrating the effectiveness the guidance. If the maximum residual With surrogate testing, selected of the cleanup and reprocessing steps levels are exceeded, several alternatives chemicals, which model classes of con- in removing contaminants through sur- are available, including conducting mi- taminants, are spiked into the source rogate contaminant testing and, if ap- gration studies that simulate actual use material. The surrogates are selected to propriate, additional migration testing. conditions for the recycled materials to address incidental contaminants and In the guidance, FDA states that esti- determine whether the surrogate con- intentional additives. The contaminated mated daily intakes (EDIs) of contami- taminants are likely to transfer to food; source material is then sent through nants from recycled food contact ar- blending the recycled material with the recycling process and the recycled ticles on the order of 1.5 µg/person/day virgin polymers to dilute out the level paper is analyzed to confirm that the (0.5 ppb dietary concentration) or less of the contaminants; limiting end-uses process removed the spiked surrogates. generally present no more than a neg- to those in which migration of the con- Functional-barrier testing also may be ligible risk. An example is provided of taminants to food is unlikely; and using necessary. FDA issued a draft guidance how to calculate the maximum accept- the recycled materials with a functional document several years ago that lends able contaminant level in polyethylene barrier that prevents migration of the credence to this determination method. terephthalate (PET) that would result in recycled material to the food. No-discernible-difference testing an EDI of no more than 1.5 µg/person/ Recycled Paper: FDA permits the use involves comparing paper samples day. Based on a consumption factor of of pulp from reclaimed (recycled) fiber produced from virgin fiber with ones 0.05, a food-type distribution factor of if certain conditions are met (see 21 produced from recycled fiber. The 1.0, consumption of 3 kg of food per C.F.R. Section 176.260). In particular, samples are analyzed for contaminants day, a surface-area-to-volume ratio of 10 the pulp may not contain “poisonous and substances of concern—such as g/in2 and a container wall thickness of 2 or deleterious substances” that migrate polyaromatic hydrocarbons, heavy met- mils (0.50 mm), the maximum residual to food, and the source may not have als, dioxins, PCBs—to demonstrate “no R EP R INTED F R OM F OOD S AFETY M AGAZINE , O CTOBE R /N OVEMBE R 2013, WITH PE R MI ss ION OF THE PUBLI S HE rs . © 2013 by T h e T a r g eT g r o u p • w w w . f o o d s a f eT y m ag a z i n e . co m PACKAGING discernible difference” in potential con- ropean Food Safety Authority (EFSA). and new processes for recycled plastics taminants between them. The analysis After EFSA issues an opinion, the EC for use in food contact materials.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Seaweed Polysaccharide in Food Contact Materials (Active Packaging, Intelligent Packaging, Edible Films, and Coatings)
    foods Review Seaweed Polysaccharide in Food Contact Materials (Active Packaging, Intelligent Packaging, Edible Films, and Coatings) Kalpani Y. Perera 1,2,† , Shubham Sharma 1,2,†, Dileswar Pradhan 1,2,†, Amit K. Jaiswal 1,2,* and Swarna Jaiswal 1,2 1 School of Food Science and Environmental Health, College of Sciences and Health, Technological University Dublin—City Campus, Central Quad, Grangegorman, Dublin D07 ADY7, Ireland; [email protected] (K.Y.P.); [email protected] (S.S.); [email protected] (D.P.); [email protected] (S.J.) 2 Environmental Sustainability and Health Institute (ESHI), Technological University Dublin—City Campus, Grangegorman, Dublin D07 H6K8, Ireland * Correspondence: [email protected] † These authors contributed equally. Abstract: Food contact materials (FCMs) are materials that come in contact with food products such as food packaging which play a significant role in the food quality and safety. Plastic, which is a major food packaging material, harms the eco-system, wildlife, and the environment. As a result, numerous researches have been in progress on alternative polymers, which has similar properties as plastic but is also environmentally friendly (biodegradable). In recent years, the utilization of seaweed polysaccharides has piqued interest due to its biodegradability, non-toxicity, antioxidant capabilities, and excellent film formation ability. However, it has a number of drawbacks such as low tensile strength, water solubility, and moderate antibacterial characteristics, among others. The Citation: Perera, K.Y.; Sharma, S.; addition of other biopolymers, nanoparticles, or natural active agents improves these features. In Pradhan, D.; Jaiswal, A.K.; Jaiswal, S. this review article, we have summarized the current state of seaweed polysaccharide research in Seaweed Polysaccharide in Food active packaging, intelligent packaging, edible films, and coatings.
    [Show full text]
  • Food Packaging Technology
    FOOD PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY Edited by RICHARD COLES Consultant in Food Packaging, London DEREK MCDOWELL Head of Supply and Packaging Division Loughry College, Northern Ireland and MARK J. KIRWAN Consultant in Packaging Technology London Blackwell Publishing © 2003 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered Editorial Offices: trademarks, and are used only for identification 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ and explanation, without intent to infringe. Tel: +44 (0) 1865 776868 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK First published 2003 Tel: +44 (0) 1865 791100 Blackwell Munksgaard, 1 Rosenørns Allè, Library of Congress Cataloging in P.O. Box 227, DK-1502 Copenhagen V, Publication Data Denmark A catalog record for this title is available Tel: +45 77 33 33 33 from the Library of Congress Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd, 550 Swanston Street, Carlton South, British Library Cataloguing in Victoria 3053, Australia Publication Data Tel: +61 (0)3 9347 0300 A catalogue record for this title is available Blackwell Publishing, 10 rue Casimir from the British Library Delavigne, 75006 Paris, France ISBN 1–84127–221–3 Tel: +33 1 53 10 33 10 Originated as Sheffield Academic Press Published in the USA and Canada (only) by Set in 10.5/12pt Times CRC Press LLC by Integra Software Services Pvt Ltd, 2000 Corporate Blvd., N.W. Pondicherry, India Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA Printed and bound in Great Britain, Orders from the USA and Canada (only) to using acid-free paper by CRC Press LLC MPG Books Ltd, Bodmin, Cornwall USA and Canada only: For further information on ISBN 0–8493–9788–X Blackwell Publishing, visit our website: The right of the Author to be identified as the www.blackwellpublishing.com Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
    [Show full text]
  • RECYCLED PLASTIC in FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS - Policy Report by Safe Food Advocacy Europe
    Brussels, December 2020 RECYCLED PLASTIC IN FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS - Policy Report by Safe Food Advocacy Europe - Food contact materials (FCMs) are defined as all the materials and articles that are intended to be put into contact with food and beverages or will presumably be in contact with food or beverages1. They include food packaging, kitchen equipment, tableware, machinery used in processing food, and objects that are used to transport food. These items can be made from a variety of materials including plastics, rubber, paper, and metal. Numerous concerns have been raised regarding the health risks FCMs might pose for consumers during exposure, as well as the efficiency of EU legislation in ensuring the safety of these materials. Among them, SAFE focuses on the emerging high-risk issue of the increasing use of recycled plastics in FCMs, which could negatively affect human health through the migration of harmful chemical substances, integrated before and/or during recycling processes, from FCMs into food. Drawing attention to health risks associated with recycled plastics in FCMs and the shortcomings of relevant legislation, SAFE would like to urge the European Commission to use the upcoming FCMs Regulations revision to ensure European consumers’ health. The policy report is produced within SAFE’s working area of food packaging, financially supported by LIFE Programme, aiming to advocate for better food packaging that is able to reduce its environmental impacts and maintain consumers health at the core of the decision-making process. 1. RECYCLED PLASTICS IN FCMs: A CURRENT AND INCREASING HIGH-RISK ISSUE Recycled plastics can be defined as plastic packaging that has passed through a mechanical recycling process which includes cleaning, grinding, re-melting, and re-granulating steps.
    [Show full text]
  • Food Contact Materials and Chemical
    Updated May 2019 F O O D C O N T A C T M A T E R I A L S A N D C H E M I C A L C O N T A M I N A T I O N There are multiple health concerns related to chemicals in food contact materials in Europe. This briefing looks at the current legislative system in the European Union for these materials and defines what is missing in the existing system and what must be changed if public health is to be protected. It also outlines the policy opportunities that are on the horizon. Have you ever wondered whether chemicals in the plastic wrapper on your meat or cheese can leach into the food you are about to eat? Or whether it is safer to buy your yogurt in a plastic pot or in a glass jar with a plastic lid? There are thousands of chemicals in food contact materials which can potentially migrate into food or drink and some are hazardous. Consumers tend to assume that they are protected from harmful chemicals in food and drink packaging, let alone the materials used in food processing and for cooking. In fact, the current European Union (EU) legislation on food contact materials is not fully effective in protecting public health. HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT ALLIANCE 0 1 T H E H E A L T H P R O B L E M Currently, hazardous chemicals are present in plastics and other materials that come into contact with food.
    [Show full text]
  • Technical Guide on Paper and Board Materials and Articles for Food Contact – DRAFT
    European Committee for Food Contact Materials and Articles (Partial Agreement) (CD-P-MCA) 1 TECHNICAL GUIDE ON PAPER AND BOARD MATERIALS AND ARTICLES FOR 2 FOOD CONTACT 3 Draft CD-P-MCA request for stakeholder consultation 5 December 2019 Start of stakeholder consultation 5 February 2020 Deadline for comments 16 March 2020 Please use this comment form to enter your comments. Comments should be sent to: [email protected]. European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM), Council of Europe Department of Biological Standardisation, OMCL Network & HealthCare (DBO) Address: 7, Allée Kastner | Cs 30026 | F-67081 Strasbourg (FRANCE) Internet address: www.edqm.eu Technical guide on paper and board materials and articles for food contact – DRAFT 4 Table of Contents 5 1. Scope and Definitions ......................................................................................................................... 1 6 1.1 Scope ....................................................................................................................................... 1 7 1.2 Definitions ............................................................................................................................... 1 8 2. Requirements ....................................................................................................................................... 1 9 2.1 General requirements .............................................................................................................. 1 10 2.2 Specific requirements
    [Show full text]
  • Food Contact Materials: Migration and Analysis. Challenges and Limitations on Identification and Quantification
    molecules Editorial Food Contact Materials: Migration and Analysis. Challenges and Limitations on Identification and Quantification Emmanouil D. Tsochatzis 1,2 1 Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Agro Food Park 48, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark; [email protected]; Tel.: +45-41893130 2 CiFOOD, Aarhus University Centre for Innovative Food Research, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark Food contact materials (FCM) are defined as the objects and materials intended to come into direct or indirect contact with foodstuff, while food contact articles are defined as objects, being equipment, containers, packaging and various utensils which are clearly intended to be used for the manufacture, preparation, conservation, flow, transport or handling of foodstuffs [1,2]. Plastic materials are widely used in food packaging applica- tions; however, there is an increasing concern because of the possible release of undesirable components into foodstuffs. During the production of these plastics, several compounds can occur, either intentionally added substances (IAS) like monomers and production chemicals (i.e., antioxidants) or the so-called non-intentionally added substances (NIAS), which are generated as a result of reaction and degradation processes or due to the presence of impurities in the raw materials used for the packaging production. This category of substances might include up to several thousands of compounds, from which the vast majority is unknown. Safety could be threatened by this potentially large number of unknown substances occurring in virgin, processed or recycled plastic FCM. Consequently, Citation: Tsochatzis, E.D. Food concerns have been raised among research communities worldwide regarding FCMs safety Contact Materials: Migration and and possible adverse health effects on human health, given their abundant presence.
    [Show full text]
  • Food Contact Materials and Articles: Printing Inks
    TemaNord 2012:521 TemaNord Ved Stranden 18 DK-1061 Copenhagen K www.norden.org Food contact materials and articles: Printing Inks Food contact materials and articles: Printing Inks Check lists for compliance in industry and trade and control by food inspection Check lists for compliance in industry and trade and control by food inspection In-house control and the documentation of it is the basis for the assu- rance of compliance with legislation, in the food area and in the area of food contact materials (FCM). Safe use of FCM is a complicated area, in general, and specifically the use of printing inks and the critical points in the printing process. One of the goals for this check list is to contribute to the development of more uniform control and requirements for in-house control. Printing inks used in FCM are regulated by these general requirements and some uses are addressed more specifically , and as there is no specific legislation in the area in EU yet. In-house documentation is based on the assumption, that each link in the supply chain ensures compliance. The check lists set a frame with minimum requirements to all relevant links in the supply chain from producers to food industry and trade. The check lists are guidance to industry and trade in order to ensure compliance with the requirements in the FCM. TemaNord 2012:521 ISBN 978-92-893-2348-2 TN2012521 omslag.indd 1 27-04-2012 08:21:54 Food contact materials and articles: Printing Inks Check lists for compliance in industry and trade and control by food inspection Gitte Alsing
    [Show full text]
  • Food Contact Substances and Chemicals of Concern
    Food contact substances and chemicals of concern: A comparison of inventories Birgit Geueke,* Charlotte C. Wagner,* Jane Muncke Food Packaging Forum, Zurich, Switzerland Correspondence details: Food Packaging Forum Foundation, Staffelstrasse 12, 8045 Zurich, Switzerland, Phone +41 44 515 5255, e-mail: [email protected] (corresponding author), [email protected]; [email protected] *Both authors contributed equally. Disclosure statement All authors are employees at the Food Packaging Forum Foundation, a charitable non-profit organization. It is funded largely by donations from the packaging industry, but works independently of donors’ special interests. The employer does not restrict the study authors’ freedom to design, conduct, interpret, and publish research results in any way. Abstract Food contact materials (FCMs) are intended to be in contact with food during production, handling or storage. They are one possible source of food contamination, because chemicals may migrate from the material into the food. More than 6000 FCM substances appear on regulatory or non-regulatory lists. Some of these substances have been linked to chronic diseases, whilst many others lack (sufficient) toxicological evaluation. The aim of this study was the identification of known FCM substances which were also considered to be chemicals of concern (COCs). The investigation was based on the following three FCM lists: (i) the 2013 Pew Charitable Trusts database of direct and indirect food additives legally used in the U.S. (short: Pew), (ii) the current EU-wide positive list for plastic FCMs (short: Union), and (iii) the 2011 non-plastics FCM substances database published by EFSA (short: ESCO).
    [Show full text]
  • Fragment Migration Into Food and Drink Simulants from Poly(Styrene) Packaging
    foods Article An Insight into the Growing Concerns of Styrene Monomer and Poly(Styrene) Fragment Migration into Food and Drink Simulants from Poly(Styrene) Packaging Asmaa Ajaj 1, Shayma J’Bari 1, Anthonia Ononogbo 1, Federico Buonocore 1, Joseph C. Bear 1, Andrew G. Mayes 2 and Huda Morgan 1,* 1 School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston upon Thames, London KT1 2EE, UK; [email protected] (A.A.); [email protected] (S.J.); [email protected] (A.O.); [email protected] (F.B.); [email protected] (J.C.B.) 2 School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7TJ, UK; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Poly(styrene) (PS) has been heavily utilised in disposable food packaging due to its insulating properties, optical translucency, and long-shelf life. Despite these desirable characteristics, (PS) poses toxicity concerns to human’s health through styrene monomer leaching into foodstuffs. Environmental and marine hazards are another growing concerns due to improper and/or absence of recycling strategies and facilities. This preliminary work aims to investigate the effect of temperature, Citation: Ajaj, A.; J’Bari, S.; food composition and contact times on the migration of the styrene monomer from poly(styrene) food Ononogbo, A.; Buonocore, F.; Bear, contact materials into food simulants. Poly(styrene) cups showed a relatively low level of styrene J.C.; Mayes, A.G.; Morgan, H. An migration with the highest being 0.110 µg/mL, whereas food containers showed a much higher level Insight into the Growing Concerns of of styrene leaching with up to 6 µg/mL.
    [Show full text]
  • EU Compliance for Food Packaging Regulations
    EU Compliance for Food Packaging Regulations Food packaging carries out several essential tasks, including protecting food against contamination or damage and providing consumers with important information about the package’s contents. Advanced food packaging materials are microwaveable, reducing browning or other signs of aging, extend shelf life, and can even monitor the condition of the food inside. Unfortunately, some packaging may not be suitable for food as they can transfer unhealthy or even dangerous substances to the consumer. Like other nations intending to protect consumers, the European Union (EU) has enacted regulations guiding the food packaging industry. The EU broadly defines foods packaging materials under the umbrella term “food contact materials,” which also includes other materials or machinery, such as coffee machines or food processers, that may come into contact with food under normal conditions. EU’s Framework Regulation Companies that supply food contact materials and food packaging must comply with EU’s food contact regulations. Several regulations control food packaging in the EU, but two regulations stand out: Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004 and Regulations (EC) No. 2023/2006 on GMP. Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004 Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004 requires materials that do not release harmful levels of their constituents into foods. The regulation requires materials that do not change the taste, odor or composition of food in an unacceptable way. It also requires that businesses involved in food packaging must establish a system that traces food contact materials (FCMs) at every step from production to distribution. The regulation allows the EU to set specific measures pertaining to certain types of materials, such as plastics; following adoption of such measures, manufacturers using those materials must submit a written Declaration of Compliance (DoC).
    [Show full text]
  • Sensory Testing of Food Contact Materials - a Science Based Practical Approach Thomas J
    Sensory Testing of Food Contact Materials - a science based practical approach Thomas J. Simat TU-Dresden Professur für Lebensmittelkunde und Bedarfsgegenstände Workshop on Sensory Testing of Food Contact Materials, JRC EURL Ispra, 29th November 2011 Sensory Testing of Food Contact Materials 1. Legal situation 2. Physiological definitions 3. Sources and formation of taints 4. Standards for sensory testing of food contact materials 5. Basics of Sensory Testing of FCM 6. Training of a FCM sensory panel 7. Problems and needs T.J. Simat, TU-Dresden, Workshop on Sensory Testing Ispra, 29th Nov. 2011 2 Legal Situation – Framework Regulation 1935/2004 on food contact materials • Art. 3 no transfer of of constituents to food in quantities which could → endanger human health → bring about an unacceptable change in the composition of the food → bring about a deterioration in the organoleptic characteristics thereof T.J. Simat, TU-Dresden, Workshop on Sensory Testing Ispra, 29th Nov. 2011 3 Legal Situation – GMP Regulation (VO 2023/2006/EC) • Aim (Art. 3): ‘... materials and articles are consistently produced and controlled to ensure conformity with the rules applicable to them and with the quality standards appropriate to their intended use by not .... causing a deterioration in the organoleptic characteristics thereof; • Tools: → Systematic measures at any point of the production chain → Communication between the stages of the production chain about the indended use (food type, duration, temperature of contact etc.) → impose complementory measures on all stages of production, transport and storage to minimize taints T.J. Simat, TU-Dresden, Workshop on Sensory Testing Ispra, 29th Nov. 2011 4 Situation Are taints in FCM an Issue? Yes! Why are they seldom found in a final product? T.J.
    [Show full text]
  • Food Contact Materials
    TOXICOLOGY FACTSHEET SERIES ISSUE No. 1 | JAN 2014 Food Contact Materials What is a Food Contact Material? Any material intended to come into contact with food, that is already in contact with food, or that can reasonably be expected to come into contact with food, is considered to be a food contact material (FCM). This includes packaging materials, cutlery, dishes, containers, processing machinery, cutting boards, etc. Materials and articles which are in contact with water intended for human consumption from the point at which they enter a food business premises, are also considered to be food contact materials. All FCMs can potentially contaminate food by transferring substance into it so FCMs have to be made and used so that they don’t cause unsafe levels of contamination (FCMs also have to be used hygienically – this is a requirement of food hygiene legislation). Types of FCM There is a wide range of FCM types. The following list illustrates examples of the most common types of FCMs: 1. Active and intelligent materials (AIM) and articles: These articles are either designed to improve shelf-life, maintain or improve the condition of packaged food or to monitor its condition 2. Adhesives: Adhesives have a wide range of uses in food contact materials, from sticking labels to food, to being used to hold together layers of plastic to create multilayer materials 3. Ceramics 4. Cork 5. Glass 6. Ion-exchange resins 7. Metal and alloys 8. Paper and board: Food businesses should ensure that in addition to packaging that is made of paper/ cardboard, all other paper products that may come into contact with food during food production, e.g.
    [Show full text]