The European Reference Laboratory for Food Contact Materials (EURL-FCM) organised a fourth workshop in Ispra, Italy on 10 December 2014, which was attended by a strong delegation from Cerame-Unie. 

The ongoing laboratory tests on the migration of different metals from ceramic tableware were presented at the meeting. The scientific work, launched in 2013, confirms that the current testing method (based on 4% acetic acid for 24 hours at room temperature) is a valid methodology. In order to take into account the decreasing migration at repeated exposure, the legal limits (still to be defined) would only have to be achieved after the third migration test.

The EURL looked into possible pre-conditioning of the ware to reduce the overall testing time and will continue this work in the first half of 2015. These results will guide the European Commission when updating the Directive on the migration of lead and cadmium for ceramic food contact materials. The new legislation, most likely a Regulation, could be proposed in the second half of 2015.