Food contact materials (FCMs) are all materials that come into contact with food including packaging as well as every-day items such as kitchen and table ware and those used in professional food manufacturing, preparation, storage and distribution. Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 (the FCM Regulation) provides that these materials shall not transfer their components into food in quantities that could endanger human health or change the composition, or organoleptic properties of the food.
The EC wishes to evaluate the need to revise the Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004. The purpose of this evaluation is to assess whether the current EU legislative framework for FCMs is fit for purpose and delivers as expected. It will assess the overall effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, and coherence with other chemicals and food legislation, and EU added value of the FCM Regulation.
The evaluation will cover the functioning of the FCM Regulation in its entirety and the rules and tools provided for by this legislation applicable in the European Union. It will also examine the situation concerning materials for which there are no EU specific measures and which are subject to national measures which are permitted.
The period of the evaluation will start from when the FCM Regulation entered into force in 2004 as regards those elements that were introduced or modified in this Regulation.
The consultation period for comments will last until the 26th of December 2017. The impact of this evaluation exercise into the timeline of the revision of the Ceramic FCM is unclear yet.
In this link you will find FEPF’s reply to the public consultation.