Food legislation and food safety – September 2026
Food Contact Materials (FCMs) – rules and regulations
EU: In June 2026, the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) opened a consultation on the draft 2nd edition of its technical guide on paper and board used in FCMs.
FPF reports that ECHA has adopted its scientific opinion on a 2025 proposal by Germany (1.66 MB) for the harmonised classification and labelling of TFA, a member of the PFAS group of chemicals. ECHA is recommending stricter hazard classification. TFA is not generally considered a food contact chemical. However, several PFAS are used in food contact applications to impart grease- and water-resistant properties. Some of these fluorinated substances can ultimately degrade to TFA in the environment.
India: FPF reports that draft standards for plastic FCMs intended for child use and for microwave use have been published.
Isreal: FPF reports the WTO has been notified (62 kB) of a proposal to restrict BPA and other hazardous bisphenols in FCMs. The proposal is largely based on Regulation (EU) 2024/3190 on the use of BPA.
US: Keller and Heckman reports that the government has issued a proposed rule requiring manufacturers to notify the FDA when concluding that the use of a substance added to human or animal food is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). The proposed rule defines food substances to include both ingredients (substances added directly to food) and food contact substances (substances added indirectly to food, such as migration from food packaging).
Keller and Heckman also reports that the FDA has added five new substances to its Inventory of Effective Food Contact Substances (FCS) Notifications.
Claims, marking and labelling – rules and regulations
On 28 July 2026, the Vegan Society announced refreshing its Vegan Trademark design and on 19 August, the new design was unveiled. The update comes ahead of the implementation of Directive (EU) 2024/825 on empowering consumers for the green transition. The directive introduces new requirements relating to environmental and sustainability claims.
Finland: Draft legislation defining an energy drink as a non-alcoholic drink with a caffeine content of more than 150 mg/l, excluding coffee and tea, has been sent to the EC.
NL: According to the Consumers' Association Consumentenbond (in Dutch), manufacturers regularly misuse fibre claims to make their products appear healthier.
Turkey: Draft legislation changing the warning “Alcohol is not your friend” to “Alcohol can cause cancer” has been sent to the EC.
US: The Senators Richard Blumenthal and Cory Booker have introduced the Food Labeling Modernization Act to combat confusing and misleading information printed on food packages. The Act would establish a single, standard front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling system.
Recent research (377 kB) by IFIC shows that Americans look for a range of information on food and beverage packaging and regularly consult FOP labels to guide their decisions. While FOP labelling is not mandatory in the US, several voluntary systems exist.
NVC members receive this information with all the relevant links in the monthly NVC Members-only Update. If you have any questions, please contact us: info@nvc.nl, +31-(0)182-512411