Global Food Contact 2018 in Bethesda, Maryland

This lively workshop explores aspects of the controversies over GRAS that are not often examined, including historical context and evaluating different possible approaches from the point of view of public policy. 

An interactive session that allows you to air out your questions and hear different views on this topic of current interest to food contact and food ingredient makers and users. 

• Food Safety Modernization Act - compliance
• Key implications
• Determining compliance in components in food packaging

• Forms of customer assurance
• Handling requests regarding chemicals of concern
• Express and implied warranties
• Examples and case studies

• Practical considerations
• Latin American Trends  
• Regulations and expectations

• Canadian Food and Drugs Act and Regulations
• Safety Assessment Process for a Letter of No Objection (LONO)
• Current Regulatory Landscape
• Update on the Direction of Canada’s Regulation of Food Contact Materials 

• Testing specifications for finished packaging materials
• List of identification of chemical identity  and migration levels
• Japan influence in the macro industry 

• Current regulatory framework for DoC in China
• Industrial Guidelines for DoC
• Other practical issues

• Regulatory challenges in the current scenario
• Labeling and packaging considerations
• Regulators and governmental affairs in food packaging 

• Printing materials news
• What’s new in the regulatory requirements
• Relationship with EU 

• Current status in Europe of single state initiatives to control the effect of products used to print food packaging.
• Outline of European Union’s approach to the development of an EU measure on printed food contact materials.
• Proposed definition of what constitutes a “printing ink”.
• Initiative set up by EuPIA and the European Packaging Industry Joint Task Force to put forward a suggested framework for the measure and what this would involve.

Identification for NIAS (Non Intentionally Added substances) is getting more and more in the focus of food industry and its foods contact materials suppliers. The European as well recently the Chinese food contact material legislation is dealing with this topic without defining how to analyze it. In principle the NIAS discussion is not a new one as it has been tackled by the FDA and others under Extractables and Leachables. Never the less there are some “felt” differences. Besides these differences the main challenges are analytical performance. As actually no harmonized principles are defined, there might be some confusion especially in interpretation of NIAS data. The present talk will highlight what is actually possible when using GC/MS and LC/MS screening tools, what are the limitations and which parts could be possibly to be harmonized. Finally an outlook will be given on how NIAS findings can be interpreted and assessed and what kind of homework the industry needs to do.  

Panelists:

Dr. Alistair Irvine, Food Contact Compliance Manager, Smithers – Pira

Joan Sylvain Baughan, Partner, Keller & Heckman LLP

Kevin C. Kenny, Chief Operating Officer, Decernis,

Professor Alejandro Ariosti, Materials for Sanitary Applications – Technical Assistance, National Institute of Industrial Technology, Argentina

• Interface between biocides and food contact regulatory regimes
• When is biocide approval needed?
• When is approval from food regulatory authorities required?
• Comparison of the US and EU regulatory approaches

• FDA compliance from an adhesive perspective, how to approach compliance, what to be cautious of, and documentation
• Safe food packaging adhesives, going beyond compliance for the safest possible food contact materials
• Looking ahead, global compliance, consumer expectations and sustainable solutions

• Who is subjected to FSVP? Basic outline of FSVP
• Understanding FDA’s guidance for food contact manufacturers pertaining to compliance with the foreign supplier verification program (FSVP)
• How does FSVP impact the global food contact industry 

• Positive food contact Substances
• Approach and challenges from brand owners
• Verification of compliance by residuals  

• Communication among different stake holders in the supply chain
• Different regions and regulatory requirements 

Recent years have seen numerous examples of food safety concerns related to packaging. They originate from everything from some real issues, to simply wrong information or to good scientific information wrongly interpreted.  Such news now spreads increasingly fast damaging Brand values, at least temporarily. 

The leading Brands now look to move ahead of regulations, minimising any perceived risk to Brand values. 

One example was the changeover to non-phthalate polypropylene in Europe where early and detailed discussions with key players in the value chain were vital to ensuring this would happen and giving as little concern as possible. 

Engagement with the value chain for a leading supplier was key.

• Why is product safety work so important for food packaging?
• Insights into fast food packaging made of paperboard - how, what and why?
• Highlighted with a real-life sample – a hamburger box

Health concerns become global in matter of seconds, and knowing what food contact materials are made of is becoming increasingly important. Food-related product safety issues are making the news and headlines more frequently and at the same time lifestyles are changing requiring more ‘on the go and sustainable packaging solutions. Recently fast food packaging materials have been in the spotlight for the usage of fluorinated chemicals or phthalates. In this presentation I will explain and highlight with a real example what is needed from a compliance perspective to produce a safe hamburger box.

The presentation will touch briefly on the global regulatory process, using practical examples. The type of paperboard selection and whether a barrier coating is needed (or not) will also be covered as well as a multilateral multilayer material example (PE extrusion coated board). Also, the presentation will include the recent case covering fluorinated chemistries and other chemicals of concern and why they have become such an issue.

A global view is being taken because Metsä Board’s customers and brand owners distribute their products globally. Fulfilling global regulations and recommendations is becoming an increasingly onerous task as they become more stringent in every area.

Coming soon!