Food legislation and food safety - February 2019

Food contact materials legislation
As part of its Evaluation of Food Contact Materials (FCMs), the European Commission has launched an Online Public Consultation on the evaluation of the FCM legislation. This consultation aims at gathering the views and evidence from a wide range of stakeholders on the functioning of the FCM legislation, on the requirements that the legislation sets for businesses and public authorities. You can provide your feedback until 6 May 2019.
EFSA has published three Safety assessments of substances for use in food contact materials:
- montmorillonite clay modified with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide
- poly((R)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐(R)‐3‐hydroxyhexanoate)
- Ln 1,4‐benzene dicarboxylic acid (with Ln = La, Eu, Gd, Tb)
France has notified the European Commission of draft legislation on rubber materials and articles intended to come into contact with food and dummies for infants and young children. The notification text is available in English, the draft text can be downloaded in French (112 kB). The new legislation should come into force on 1 July 2019.

Labelling
According to a survey by researchers of Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, misunderstanding food date labels is linked with higher food discards. The researchers found widespread confusion, leading to unnecessary discards, increased waste and food safety risks.
SGS reports that the USDA AMS has finalized the US national bioengineered food disclosure standard. The requirement for food labelling of genetically modified products and ingredients will allow the US consumers to have knowledge of what is and is not produced from genetic modification.
The UK Government reports it has issued guidance on food and drink labelling in the event of a no deal Brexit.
Carola Schouten, Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality writes (in Dutch) that Milieu Centraal has carried out the second benchmark of sustainability labels. The result of the second benchmark is a selection of 11 top labels. According to the Minister, these top labels stand out by high scores on the three central criteria: ambition level, control and transparency. The labels can also be found in the Quality Mark Guide (in Dutch) of Milieu Centraal.
As of 1 February 2019, there are new and amended Dutch Advertising Codes. The Health Product Commendation Code (in Dutch) is now part of the Dutch Advertising Code. In connection with this, a number of changes have been made to the Public Advertising Code for Medicines (in Dutch) and the Medical Devices Code (in Dutch). An amendment has also been included in the Advertising Code for Foodstuffs (in Dutch) which further restricts advertising aimed at children and restricts the use of children's idols.

Recycled plastics in food contact materials
Smithers Pira has published a white paper about using recycled plastics in food contact applications. The authors take a look at the regulatory requirements, the key areas of concern, and how testing can facilitate the safe and effective use of recycled plastics in food contact materials. You can download the white paper after filling in your contact details.

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.