On Monday 9th September the European Commission held a major stakeholder meeting to discuss the EU’s laws regulating chemicals in food contact materials (FCM) such as packaging and pipes. The meeting discussed the initial findings from a review that consultants Ecorys are carrying out for the Commission. One clear message that came out of the [...]
DG Sanco
Two recent reports have highlighted the way in which certain industries have been lobbying against EU regulation of hormone disrupting chemicals. The first, by Corporate Europe Observatory and journalist Stéphane Horel: “exposes corporate lobby groups mobilising to stop the EU taking action on hormone (endocrine) disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The report sheds light on how corporations [...]
On 25th February we sent a letter to the EU’s Health and Food Safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, highlighting our concerns with the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) conclusions on Bisphenol A (BPA), and also asking what progress has been made in addressing the regulatory gaps in our protection from chemicals in food packaging. On BPA, the letter focusses particularly on [...]
Back in July, a report from the Food Packaging Forum highlighted that many hazardous chemicals are used in food contact packaging – and we wrote a letter to EU Health Commissioner Borg expressing our concerns about the situation. The Commission has since stated that it is soon to start a study of this issue at the EU’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). On [...]
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are chemicals that can disrupt the functioning of the endocrine (or hormonal) systems of humans or wildlife. There are EU laws in place that can restrict their use – but they will only work if there is agreement on how to decide if a chemical is an EDC. The issue of criteria [...]
A new report “Chemical conflicts”, from Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) – who specialise in exposing corporate lobbying – finds that two-thirds of scientists advising the EU on controversial substances have industry links. CEO looked at four recent case studies of chemicals that had been examined by the European Commission’s Scientific Committees: parabens, nano titanium dioxide, nano-silver and [...]
Chemical Watch is reporting that the European Commission is re-organising responsibility for the setting of criteria for endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), moving it from the Environment Directorate General (DG) to DG Health and Consumer Affairs (or ‘Sanco’), though DG Environment will remain in charge of overall EDC policy. In addition, responsibility for biocides and pesticides policies is [...]
Back in July, worrying new research on hazardous chemicals in food packaging led to CHEM Trust writing a letter to the current EU Commissioner for Health, Tonio Borg – more details in this blog post. We are particularly concerned about gaps in regulation for chemicals in non-plastic food contact materials (cardboard, ink, glue etc), and the fact that [...]
New research published this week has revealed that hazardous chemicals – including endocrine disrupting chemicals – are used in packaging around food (food contact packaging). In the study – which has been reported by the Daily Mail and the Daily Express – the authors identified 175 potentially hazardous substances legally used in the production of food contact materials in Europe and [...]
