Eurofins | News Flash - December 2018 | FCM

China

Eurofins China laboratories expand their capabilities for China Market Eurofins´ labs continue expanding their capabilities to offer a one-stop-service solution to their customers by recently including additional services to complement their offers for Consumer Products entering the Chinese Market. The Eurofins laboratories located in Hangzhou and Shanghai are now CNAS and CMA accredited for more than 200 Chinese standards in order to ensure that our clients´ products addressed to the Chinese market are in full compliance with the applicable standards.

The families of products in the scope include:

• Food contact materials
• Textiles and related
• Toys and children’s products
• And others

The service portfolio covers:

• Consultancy
• Testing
• Certification
• Packaging and Labelling Check

Should you have any question, please feel free to contact with GB-Testing-CN@eurofins.com.

Europe

Standard Updates

Below a summary table with some recent standards updates and upcoming dates of withdrawal (non-exhaustive):

 (*) Date of withdrawal: latest date by which national standards conflicting with an EN (and HD for CENELEC) have to be withdrawn.

Europe

Assessment of polyacrylic acid, sodium salt, cross-linked in contact with food On 8th November, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published Safety assessment of the active substance polyacrylic acid, sodium salt, cross‐linked, for use in active food contact materials. This substance can be found in the absorbent pads inside the packaging of fresh or frozen foods such as meat, fruit, vegetables and seafood.

The conclusion of this assessment is that the use of this polyacrylic acid, sodium salt, cross‐linked, does not raise a safety concern if not exceed its absorption capacity.

Click here for getting the report from the EFSA’s website.

Europe

Adoption of Proposal for Directive to reduce use of certain plastic products

On 24^th November the European Parliament adopted the proposal directive on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment that was published on 28^th May (2018/0172(COD)).  Within other requirements, this Directive will ban items such as disposable plastic plates, cutlery, plastic straws and cotton swabs by 2021.

Some other examples (not exhaustive) of single-use plastic items that will have specific requirements as foreseen in this Commission’s proposal:

• Food containers
• Cups for beverages
• Sticks for balloons
• Packets and wrappers
• Beverage containers
• Sanitary items (wet wiped, sanitary towels)

 Click here for getting the European Parliament report.

Click here for getting the news from News European Parliament.

France

Ban of single-use plastics items The French authorities are working to reduce plastic litter in the ocean with the application of different Acts within the next year, as well as others that had already been implemented in previous years. Disposable plastic cups, glasses and plates will be banned from 1 January 2020 (see art.73 of the Energy Transition for Green Growth Act 2015-992 and Decree 2016-1170).

Cotton swabs for domestic use with plastic stem will be prohibited from January 1, 2020 (art.124 of the Law of August 8, 2016 called law "Biodiversity"). It is the same article of this law which provides for the prohibition, since 1 January 2018, of the sale of rinse-off cosmetic products for exfoliating or cleaning use containing solid plastic particles.

Click here for getting the publication in Service-Public.fr website.

Click here for reading the article in Le portail de l’Économie, des Finances de l’Action et des Comptes publics.

US - Washington

Looking for an alternative to PFAS

On 6^th November, the Washington State Department of Ecology published the PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) alternatives assessment project summary for food packaging inside Ecology’s PFSA Chemical Action Plan (CAP).

This project comes from HB2658 (amended Washington’s Toxics in Packaging Law (RCW 70.95G)) that indicates the ban of PFAS in food packaging  from January 2022. This ban will be take effect if safe and ecological alternatives are found. Click here for more information about alternatives to PFAS in Food Packaging.

Canada

Carcinogenicity potential from 7 colorant ingredients

On 3^rd November, the Government of Canada published a draft screening assessment of seven Anthraquinones substances with carcinogenicity potential.
 
Theses 7 substances are:
 

• Solvent violet 13
• Pigment blue 60
• Solvent violet 59
• Solvent blue 36
• Disperse red 60
• Acid blue 239
• "9,10-Anthracenedione, 1,4-diamino-, N,N'-mixed 2-ethylhexyl", including methyl- and pentyl- derivatives

 
Click here for getting the Draft screening assessment Anthraquinones group.

Turkey 

Draft proposal regulations