Analysis of Plastics for Food Contact Use

For more than 30 years work has been going on involving food contact plastics and the effect that migrants from plastics products have on food. The first European Directive (78/142/EEC), which was on the vinyl chloride monomer content of food contact PVC, was published in the late 1970s and this was followed ultimately by the more comprehensive Plastics Directive (90/128/EEC) in 1990. Since 1990, there has been a gradual harmonisation of European testing requirements through amendments to 90/128/EEC. The seventh amendment (2002/17/EC) has recently been 

In general, there are two types of analyhcal test that are carried out on food contact plastics  

In the case of certain plastics materials, e.g., ABS, grades that are intended for food use have to meet certain residual monomer targets. Direct analysis of these polymers is undertaken to determine the concentration of these monomers. 

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