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Food for Thought
December 2023
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Welcome to 'Food for Thought', a newsletter sharing key updates on food contact material (FCM) policy, ideas for revised FCM legislation and useful resources. There are thousands of chemicals in food contact materials that can potentially migrate into our food or drink, and many of these chemicals can harm our health and pollute the environment. This is why we need more protective regulation.
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European Parliament vote strengthens chemical ambitions in Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation
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On 22nd November, the European Parliament voted on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) proposal.
Although a number of measures and targets originally proposed by the Commission have been weakened, Parliament's position strengthens the ambitions relating to harmful chemicals and proposes to eliminate PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances), also known as the 'forever chemicals', and bisphenol A from food contact packaging.
The adopted text constitutes Parliament's mandate for negotiations with EU governments. Once the European Council has adopted its position, Parliament will start talks with national governments to establish the law's final form.
Read more about the outcome of the vote in Zero Waste Europe's press release here.
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ECHA report confirms regulatory action on PVC is needed
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The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published a research report on PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and its additives.
PVC is used in rigid and soft food packaging, including food packs and trays, shrink foils and films, cling films, and labels. ECHA's report found that some substances added to PVC plastic, such as plasticisers, may pose risks to people and the environment. These substances can also be found in food packaging. In the case of certain additives, such as high molecular weight ortho-phthalates, the main route of human exposure is thought to be via food contact materials.
Importantly, the report confirmed that there are alternative materials for all PVC applications in packaging, and no critical differences between the lifetime or performance of PVC and these alternatives have been found.
The report concludes that regulatory action is necessary to limit the use of problematic additives and to minimise releases of PVC microplastics.
Read more in this press release from the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), Zero Waste Europe, ClientEarth and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB).
Several NGOs, including HEAL and Zero Waste Europe, have launched a petition asking the European Commission to develop ambitious phase out plans for PVC and its additives under the REACH regulation. Read more here.
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Understanding Packaging (UP) Scorecard updates scoring system for chemicals
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The latest version of the Understanding Packaging (UP) Scorecard includes an updated methodology to assess chemicals in food packaging and foodware.
The UP Scorecard helps users assess different products, such as takeaway containers, hot beverage cups and aluminium cans, and make informed choices about which products to use. The tool allows consumers and food services companies to select different food packaging or foodware and compare their scores for six metrics: chemicals of concern, plastic pollution, climate, water use, sustainable sourcing, and recoverability.
The scorecard now also takes into account the type of food or beverage that the packaging will contain - for example, its acidity, fat content, and length of storage. It is well known that these factors can increase the risk of contaminants in the packaging transferring to the foodstuffs.
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This newsletter is produced by a collaboration between CHEM Trust, the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) and Zero Waste Europe (ZWE). Together, we are working towards creating a toxic-free environment where nobody should have to worry about the presence of health-harming chemicals in the products that come into contact with our food.
CHEM Trust is a charity based in Germany and the UK, with the overarching aim to prevent synthetic chemicals from causing long term damage to wildlife or humans, by ensuring that chemicals which cause such harm are substituted with safer alternatives. (EU Transparency number: 27053044762-72)
The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) is the leading not-for-profit organisation addressing how the environment affects human health in the European Union (EU) and beyond. HEAL works to shape laws and policies that promote planetary and human health and protect those most affected by pollution, and raise awareness on the benefits of environmental action for health. (EU Transparency number: 00723343929-96)
Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) is the European network of communities, local leaders, experts, and change agents working towards the elimination of waste in our society. ZWE advocates for sustainable systems and the redesign of our relationship with resources, to accelerate a just transition towards zero waste for the benefit of people and the planet. (EU Transparency number: 47806848200-34)
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