Working Party on Chemical Contaminants in Food Contact Materials and Articles - Annual Review of Current Research Projects 2002
Wednesday 28 August 2002
Read the review of the research conducted by the Working Party on Chemical Contaminants from Food Contact Materials in 2002.
The Food Standards Agency commissions a programme of research into chemical migration from food contact materials and articles to ensure that chemical migration from these materials and articles into foodstuffs does not endanger health. It also provides information and practical methods to help the Agency meet its consumer safety objectives.
This research helps to provide a sound scientific basis for UK input to international negotiations in the European Union and at the Council of Europe. This programme includes the quantification of chemical migration and the development of appropriate test protocols, as well as more fundamental work to increase understanding of the factors affecting chemical migration.
The range of materials researched in this programme is diverse. For example in this document there is a paper on the development of multi-methods to determine the migration of plastics additives and papers on migration potential from laminates, woods and take-away food packaging. The research programme is carefully managed to ensure value for money in both the science it produces and its relevance to the work of the Food Standards Agency. Projects are awarded to contractors after open competition. The Working Party on Chemical Contaminants from Food Contact Materials and Articles has the specific role of providing independent advice on what research is needed and how it is carried out. To ensure that the projects relate to current practice the membership of the Working Party includes experts from industry as well as consumer and regulatory interests.
The activities of the Working Party are structured around two meetings a year, in the Spring and Autumn. The Spring meeting reviews research projects in progress, whilst the one in the Autumn considers future research.
This review document has been produced as a public record of the Spring 2002 meeting and to enable the Agency, as part of its policy of openness, to disseminate information about this research programme to stakeholders.
