The European Commission have kicked off a revision of EU rules on chemicals in food contact materials (FCMs), with the publication of an Inception Impact Assessment (IIA) open for consultation. Currently almost everything we eat will have been in contact with various FCMs, which include food packaging, factory equipment and kitchen utensils. EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius has previously highlighted problems with the current FCM laws e.g. Bisphenol A, a well-known endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC), is still allowed in FCM despite being banned in babies’ bottles and thermal paper.
This new initiative by the Commission aims to modernise the EU rules, to:
- ensure food safety and a high level of public health protection;
- reduce the presence and use of hazardous chemicals;
- take account of the latest science and technology;
- support innovation and sustainability by promoting safe reusable and recyclable solutions, and help reduce the sector’s environmental impact.
Consultation is open for six weeks, from 18 December 2020 until 29 January 2021 (midnight Brussels time).
For more information please visit Revision of EU rules on food contact materials