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Food Packaging a Review of Food Packaging and Contact Material Regulations and Requirements

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Food Packaging a Review of Food Packaging and Contact Material Regulations and Requirements Food packaging A review of food packaging and contact material regulations and requirements White paper Abstract Food packaging and food contact materials are essential elements in the effort to provide consumers worldwide with safe and nutritious food. But packaging manufacturers must be prepared to deal with a diverse global regulatory landscape, as well as customer procurement requirements based on voluntary standards. This white paper summarises the principle regulatory requirements for food packaging and food contact materials in major jurisdictions around the world. TÜV SÜD Contents INTRODUCTION 3 WHAT ARE FOOD PACKAGING AND CONTACT MATERIALS, AND HOW DO THEY IMPACT FOOD SAFETY? 4 FOOD PACKAGING AND CONTACT MATERIAL REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS 4 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 10 About TÜV SÜD experts Kok-Yoong Chong Vice-President, Food Services, TÜV SÜD Asia Pacific Kok-Yoong Chong is Vice-President for Food Services, TÜV SÜD Asia Pacific, and is responsible for the strategic development and growth of technical services for the food industry. He is a certified food auditor for a variety of international certification programs and standards, including HACCP and GMP, and served as a senior scientific officer for the Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research (SISIR). Chong has more than 20 years of experience in providing auditing, inspection, testing and training services to the food industry. Chuang Zhang Department Manager, Food, Health and Beauty, TÜV SÜD China Chuang Zhang is the Department Manager of Food, Health and Beauty for TÜV SÜD’s Greater China Central Region and is responsible for strategic development of food, health and beauty services. Zhang has nearly 15 years of experience in testing, auditing, inspecting and training for food, food additives and food packaging, and specialises in new materials development, product manufacturing and quality control issues related to food production. Zhang holds a Ph.D. in Food Sciences. 2 Food packaging | TÜV SÜD Introduction In today’s modern society, consumers the general importance of food safety, regulations are designed to ensure have been responsible for significant and highlight the critical role that food that packaging and contact materials changes in the way in which food is packaging and food contact materials adequately protect food against prepared and consumed. With less play in overall efforts to provide microorganisms, pests and other time available for daily tasks, more consumers with safe and nutritious forms of contamination, but also and more consumers are finding food. Indeed, advances in modern that packaging materials that come refrigerated and other prepared food packaging materials have in direct contact with food are not foods a convenient alternative to provided food producers and retailers themselves a source of harmful home-cooked meals. Further, a with packaging options that generally contaminants. 2009 report by the Neilsen Company preserve the safety and quality of reveals that 44% of global consumers food products, regardless of how they This white paper provides a general dine out between one and three times are distributed. overview of the principle regulatory a week. [1] requirements for food packaging Because of their important role in and food contact materials in major Access to safe and nutritious food food safety, food packaging and jurisdictions around the world. The has always been of paramount food contact materials are subject to paper is intended for food packaging importance to consumers around the regulations in most major markets, manufacturers and food producers, as world. But changes in patterns of food including the U.S., the European well as food retailers and regulators. preparation and consumption increase Union (EU), China and Japan. These TÜV SÜD | Food packaging 3 What are food packaging and contact materials, and how do they impact food safety? The U.S. Food and Drug Packaging can include bottles, cans, to a food product. Food packaging Administration (FDA) defines jars, cartons and bags, as well as materials may also contain monomers, food contact substances as “any wrapping materials. Food contact which are single organic molecules substance intended for use as a materials can also include food plating that have failed to bond with other component of materials uses in and utensils, and appliances whose molecules during the material manufacturing, packing, packaging, surfaces come in contact with food production process or that have transporting, or holding food if such products (for example, a toaster or been produced as a result of material use is not intended to have a technical coffee maker). Packaging and contact decomposition. effect in such food.” [2] As this materials can be made of paper, definition makes clear, food packaging plastic, petroleum-based substances, In addition, recycled materials used and food contact materials are used engineered products and recycled in food packaging are often exposed in every stage of the food production materials. Packaging materials to chemicals and other agents during and distribution process. based on agricultural ingredients the recycling process. The safety like plant fibers, sugars and starches profile of some of these agents is not Aside from their essential role in are increasingly available, and are well understood, and may be harmful production and distribution, food also popular with food producers in the amounts required for material packaging and food contact materials and consumers alike since they reprocessing. Finally, food packaging also help to preserve essential food are environmentally-preferable to and contact materials can also come characteristics, such as the form, conventional packaging materials and in contact with potentially harmful shape or texture of a food product. use less energy to manufacture. substances during the production Packaging and contact materials process or in storage, thereby cross- also help to prolong or preserve Food packaging and food contact contaminating any enclosed food. a product’s freshness, thereby materials usually contain additives, extending its shelf life. And packaging such as colorants and chemicals. and contact materials provide a In many cases, prolonged contact barrier to pests and contaminants. between food and packaging or contact materials can result in the Food packaging and food contact transfer of these additives from materials come in a variety of forms. the packaging or contact material Food packaging and contact material regulations and standards Regulations and requirements regulations and standards intended South America, regulators maintain regarding food packaging and food to achieve this goal take a variety of mandatory “positive lists” of materials contact materials are generally different approaches. and substances that can be used in intended to preserve the physical, food packaging. In some individual chemical and sanitary integrity of In the EU and the so-called Mercosur countries, mandatory positive lists are food products. However, in practice, (Mercado Comun del Sur) countries in supplemented by voluntary standards 4 Food packaging | TÜV SÜD that include expanded positive lists packaging and food contact materials required toxicology assessments of of acceptable materials. In other that include certain polymers, new materials prior to registration and jurisdictions, including Mexico and additives or colorants, or which use. South Africa, food packaging and food include recycled materials. In addition contact material safety is generally to specific material requirements, The following sections of this paper addressed through mandatory product jurisdictions may impose further provide additional details regarding safety requirements. constraints on the use of food food packaging and contact material packaging and food contact materials. regulations and standards applicable Other requirements and voluntary These constraints can include formal in specific jurisdictions. standards may be applicable to food material registration programs, or A. European Union In the EU, requirements applicable to food packaging and food contact materials are detailed in Framework Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004, [3] which establishes minimum requirements applicable to most types of food contact materials. These requirements mandate that all food contact materials: THESE REQUIREMENTS MANDATE THAT ALL FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS: Are safe Do not transfer components or chemicals to food so as to endanger human health, change food composition or adversely affect food taste or odor Are produced consistent with good manufacturing practices, consistent with the requirements of Regulation (EC) No. 2023/2006 Are traceable through the production chain Bear the EU’s “glass-and-fork” symbol or otherwise labeled to signify compliance with the requirements Under Regulation 1935/2004, food Plastics Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011, with these limits is verified through contact materials must be authorised [5] which addresses the use of all a testing scheme described in the by the European Food Safety plastic materials intended to come Regulation. Consistent with the Authority (EFSA) prior to being placed in contact with food. Importantly, requirements of Regulation 1935/2004, on the market. Food contact materials Regulation 10/2011 establishes plastic food packaging and food that have been authorised are listed in an overall migration limit (OML) contact materials are also subject to a publically-available online database
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