Control of food contact materials in the EU

The basic rule in the Community food legislation specifies that only safe food shall be placed on the market (General Food Law Art. 14). Consequently food contact materials shall not transfer their substance into the food in concentrations that can endanger human health (Art. 3 Framework Regulation). The main players to ensure safety as regards food contact materials are the packaging industry, the food industry, competent authorities in the Member States, and the European Commission. 

1 The role of the business operators food industry and packaging/contact material industry 

When Member States take measures that affect other Member States, such as withdrawal from the market when the article originates from, or is distributed to, another Member State, they should inform the Commission and the other Member States via the electronic Rapid Alert System for feed and food (RASFF). Other Member States affected by their action are then also able to act. Member States have to lay down their control activities in multi-annual control plans as from 2007. 

The European Commission s Food and Veterinary Office carries out Community controls in the Member States and in third countries in order to check their national control systems. On food contact materials, until now, desk studies on the systems in place have been performed. 

The OFFC Regulation establishes a hierarchy of methods used for sampling and analysis in applying official controls. First priority is given to methods laid down in Community legislation. If these do not exist, methods according to internationally established rules such as those of CEN or those in national legislation should be applied. In the absence of these methods other methods fit for the purpose or developed in accordance with scientific protocols shall be used. In the area of food contact materials analytical methods are laid 

---