MEPs call for food exposure rules for coatings

The European Parliament has called for the creation of European Union (EU)-wide safety rules limiting the exposure of food products to varnishes, coatings, inks and adhesives used in packaging, labelling and tableware. In a resolution, which is not binding on the European Commission, the parliament noted that no EU-wide standards on food consumer exposure to these chemicals yet exist, while rules are in place for plastics and ceramics."This is how we ensure that the materials that are in direct contact with our food are safe. The current regulation allows for arrangements concerning 17 substances but only four of these, at the moment, are harmonised at EU level. The rest are up to the [EU] member states to work out”, said Danish Socialist MEP Christel Schaldemose, who co-ordinated the resolution vote. "The lack of harmonised rules causes problems for consumers, for companies and for the authorities…some countries have high standards, other low standards. We know from various studies that it is what is in the packaging that is causing health problems”, she said.

• Meanwhile, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have started work on developing scientific guidance to enable endocrine disruptors to be identified. This follows the release in June by the European Commission of science-based criteria for identifying endocrine disruptors. These criteria are expected to enter into force in 2017 but will need to be fleshed out with guidance – now being developed by EFSA and ECHA, plus the Commission’s Joint Research Centre. A draft will be released January-June for public consultation.

• Proposals to amend the calculation systems for assessing whether the European Union (EU) imposes anti-dumping duties or countervailing duties on cut-priced paint and coatings imports will help the EU target countries most commonly exporting such goods, according to the European Commission. The changes will allow the Commission more scope to take subsidies and government controls into account when deciding if an import is being sold at below cost price and, hence, could be subject to EU anti-dumping duties.These proposals would amend EU regulations (EU) 2016/1036 and 2016/1037 on anti-dumping and countervailing duties.EU trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmström said: "The proposals will ensure that the EU’s trade defence instruments are adapted to face new challenges”.
See http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2016/november/tradoc_155079.pdf

• ECHA has added a new coatings chemical to its candidate list for ‘authorisation’ status under the EU REACH chemical control system. This is tetralead trioxide sulphate, deemed by the EU agency to be toxic for reproduction – used to make coatings and inks for mirror backings. The European Commission will now decide if the chemical received this status, forcing manufacturers to obtain special permission for its use.

• Paints and coatings companies and their suppliers registering their chemicals with ECHA will, henceforth, have to demonstrate that they have tried to use non-animal methods to test for skin sensitisation created by their products and ingredients. From October 11, companies can only use animal tests to compile ECHA registration dossiers where they can demonstrate that ‘in vitro’ assessments did not work.