Source: European Parliament
The Commission is committed to further harmonising EU legislation on food contact materials (FCMs), as indicated in its announcement to revise the legislation[1]. The Commission has recognised the need to significantly reduce the current EU limits for lead and cadmium allowed to transfer into food from ceramic materials, to widen the scope to other types of materials including glass and enamels, and to consider limits for other metals to safeguard public health.
The Commission has already carried out a significant body of work on this initiative, including the development of adequate methodologies for testing[2], an inception impact assessment[3] and direct stakeholder dialogue as well as technical discussions with Member States.
Further preparatory work for the initiative is ongoing, which is highly complex and requires further consultations with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the coherence of requirements across different types of FCMs, in particular the approach to regulating particularly hazardous substances but considering also the potential impacts on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and producers using traditional production techniques.
- [1] https://food.ec.europa.eu/food-safety/chemical-safety/food-contact-materials/revision-eu-rules_en
- [2] https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC102075
- [3] https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/2074-Food-safety-heavy-metals-in-ceramic-glass-and-enameled-table-and-kitchenware_en