Food packaging: product updates

Sabic has updated all its food contact declarations food three years ahead of schedule, in accordance with the changes to EU regulations designed to further increase the safety of packed that come into force in 2016.

The new regulations provide more stringent tests to verify the phenomena of migration of substances from packaging material to food content. As these Regulations come into force in three years time, plastics processors and food packaging manufacturers will need further confirmation as to the the conformity of purchased materials.
The European regulation on plastics (EU) 10/2011 (PIM), in force since May 1st, 2011, introduces several modifications of the regulations referred to in Council Directive 82/711/EC, particularly with regard to test methods of migration of single chemical products, as well as the material to be used during the tests to simulate the food in question. There will be some changes in the duration of certain tests, the temperatures at which certain tests are to be taken and simulants of packed products that contain water and alcohol. The new regulation will though only enter into force on 1 January 2016.

No additional restrictions  For PE and PP, Sabic has already evaluated all substances regulated by a specific migration limit (SML) based on the new rules (10 days at 60 º C). The tests carried out have confirmed that none of Sabic’s PE or PP materials will be subject to additional restrictions for applications involving contact with food.
Even If migration tests are not formally obligatory for them, the producers of plastic intermediary products must present the customer with a specific documentation of conformity(DoC), confirming that the material satisfies the legal requisites. In addition, they are also required to report the identity of monomers and additives subject to SML and/or QM restrictions, as well as identity the "dual use" additives and provide information on possible restrictions of use.