Ministers back shake up of EU food contact legislation
A wide-ranging regulation that would see the overhaul of rules governing food contact plastics in the European Union (EU) has taken a major step towards becoming law later this year.
A wide-ranging regulation that would see the overhaul of rules governing food contact plastics in the European Union (EU) has taken a major step towards becoming law later this year.
The proposed regulation known as the Plastic Implementation Measure (PIM) was approved by the EU’s Council of Ministers just before Christmas. The meeting, held in Brussels on 20 December, agreed not to oppose draft regulation 14262/10 – which was subject to regulatory procedure with scrutiny.
“This means that now that the Council has given its consent, the Commission may adopt them, unless the European Parliament objects,” said a statement from the Council of Ministers.
The draft legislation has previously been subject to much debate and there is no certainty that the Parliament will approve the current version.
Unifying regulation
The measure, known officially as the draft regulation on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, will bring all EU legislation on food contact plastics under one umbrella.
The regulation is due to come into force in May 2011. However, given the raft current legislation it would repeal, its full introduction will be staggered with transitional arrangements from 1 May 2011 to 1 January 2016.
The regulation outlines the need for a more rigorous regime in areas such as migration testing given that plastic used in food contact materials have become vastly more complex.
“In recent years, plastic food contact materials are being developed that not only consist of one plastic but combine up to 15 different plastic layers to obtain optimum functionality and protection of food, while reducing packaging waste,” said the regulation.
It adds that while some non-authorised substances can be used behind a ‘functional barrier’, mutagenic, carcinogenic or toxic substances must be authorised before being utilised.
Substances that use nanomaterials should be assessed on a case-by-case basis until more information is known about potential risks they present.
Source: European Commission
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