Food Packaging Forum researchers have developed a new practical chemical grouping method that could help regulators and manufacturers more efficiently identify and manage potentially hazardous substances in food packaging.
The approach, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, identifies 38 priority chemical groups that contain a high number of known hazardous substances.
These include ortho-phthalates, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, alkyl phenols, organophosphates, isocyanates, primary aromatic amines, and others.
According to the peer-reviewed study, 1,222 food-contact chemicals have been identified as hazardous to human health, and more than 13,000 other chemicals lack sufficient publicly available data to determine whether they are safe for consumers.
More than 15,000 chemicals can be used to manufacture or be present in food-contact articles such as food packaging and kitchenware.
Consumer protection fears
“Today’s regulatory approaches in Europe and North America look at each chemical individually, but this is inefficient and does not sufficiently protect consumers,” said co-author Jane Muncke.
“We are proposing an evidence-based grouping approach decision makers can already use now until the proper testing methods and testing data become available.”
To address this imbalance, scientists have developed a method that groups chemicals based on structural similarity, which often exhibit corresponding hazard properties.
This approach is said to enable rapid identification of chemicals of concern, allowing policymakers and the industry to take more informed action.
In total, 4,222 food-contact chemicals were shown to fall within these 38 priority groups, indicating that many substances currently on the market are structurally similar to known hazardous chemicals and could therefore act as ‘regrettable substitutes’ if used as replacements.
Evidence-based priority list
“Replacing known hazardous chemicals with very similar but insufficiently tested alternatives is not solving the problem,” said Helene Wiesinger, lead author of the study.
Alongside the research, the scientists have produced an evidence-based priority list of known hazardous food-contact chemicals (FCCprio List).
An interactive app (FCCgroup) has also been created that allows users to screen their own sets of chemicals and identify any relevant priority groups.
It is designed to make it easy and quick for anyone to screen a set of chemicals and find out which might be hazardous and an avoidable threat to consumer health.
“This can especially help companies stay ahead of future legal restrictions, avoid litigation, and better protect their customers,” said co-author Albert Anguera Sempere.
