Food legislation and food safety – November 2025

Food Contact Materials (FCMs) – rules and regulations
EU: SGS reports the publication of Regulation (EU) 2025/2269 amending Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 on recycled plastic FCMs. Keller and Heckman reports the publication of Regulation (EU) 2025/2240 that extends the transitional period for plastic FCMs manufactured with salicylic acid or untreated wood flour or fibres. Germany: SGS reports that the BfR has amended recommendations (in German) for nine types of FCMs, including paper and board. The unofficial translations in English can be found here. Indonesia: SGS reports that a public consultation on revised FCM legislation has been completed. Japan: Keller and Heckman reports that the Consumer Affairs Agency has amended the positive list for synthetic resins and additives for FCMs. Montenegro: SGS reports that the requirements for plastic FCMs have been updated to further align them with EU regulations. US: Keller and Heckman reports that the FDA has added ten new entries to its Inventory of Effective Food Contact Substances (FCS) Notifications. New Mexico: The government (188 kB) has published proposed rules (245 kB) to implement the PFAS Protection Act. The rules include establishing consumer labels for products containing intentionally added PFAS, the phasing out of the sale of these products and reporting requirements for the manufacturers. From 2027, the sale of food packaging with intentionally added PFAS is prohibited.

Claims, marking and labelling – rules and regulations
Italy: The government has postponed (in Italian, 2,21 MB) the requirement to inform consumers about the price of products with reduced content and increased or unchanged selling price (shrinkflation) to 1 July 2026. NL: As of 1 January 2026, new rules (in Dutch) will apply for warnings for cross-contamination with allergens: Precautionary Allergen Labelling (PAL). For example, the word “traces” will no longer be permitted in a PAL. The NVWA recently published Q&A (in Dutch) on the new policy. The NVWA has responded (in Dutch) to questions from EenVandaag (in Dutch) about warnings regarding the use of the name “gehakt” (minced) for vegetarian products. Gehakt is a so-called reserved designation. The Commodities Act Decree on meat, minced meat and meat products (in Dutch) specifies when a product may be called gehakt and vegetarian products do not meet these conditions. Terms such as “sausage”, “burger” and “schnitzel” are not reserved. It is therefore possible to use such names, provided that it is clearly indicated that it is a vegetarian or vegan variant.

Claims, marking and labelling - consumer research
An EIT Food Consumer Observatory study shows that consumers doubt sustainability and health claims. Collaboration with credible third parties strengthens trust. They see clear, simple ingredient lists as a basic right – even if they do not always read them. You can download the report after filling in your details.
A University of Göttingen study shows that when consumers assess the environmental impact of food, their decision largely depends on its origin. Domestic products are perceived as particularly environmentally friendly, but this is not always the case.

Research on microplastics
A literature review (990 kB) by EFSA concludes that (i) there is evidence of microplastics released during the uses of FCM, (ii) this release is due to mechanical stress or due to materials with open or fibrous structures, (iii) despite the uncertainties, the actual release is much lower than the results presented in many publications.
A HMU study (6.01 MB) published in Microplastics shows that microplastics migrate from flexible plastic pouches into honey.
 

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