Chemical Migration from Plastic Types of Food Contact Materials

Abstract

Foods are exposed to contact materials during all steps passed from farm to fork. Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 was set in the European Union (EU) to provide safe FCMs and to explain the general requirements of the materials. Plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food are regulated by Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011. Annex I of Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 contains the Union list of authorized monomers, additives, polymer production and other starting substances. There are 885 authorized food contact material substances in the list. These listed substances called as “Intentionally Added Substances (IAS)” can be used to manufacture plastic materials, with the restrictions and specifications established in the list. The contamination of foods due to the release of chemicals from packaging materials can be originated from the substances used in their formulation (IAS) but also from interactions between different ingredients, degradation products or from the presence of impurities in the raw materials (so called “Non Intentionally Added Substances-NIAS”). The components from food contact materials must not migrate into the foods in unacceptable quantities. Therefore, substances used in the manufacture of FCMs are regulated with maximum limits that may migrate into foodstuffs without causing any health concerns. There are two migration limit set for plastic based materials and articles: Overall Migration Limit and Specific Migration Limit (SML). SML are set for individual authorized substances based on toxicological evaluation. In the scope of this study, plastic type of food contact materials are classified, and migration concept is explained, the regulations about FCMs and analysis method on chemicals migrated are reviewed.