Page 50 - FINAT Yearbook 2015

OVERVIEW OF REGULATORY DEVELOPMENTS
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1. FOOD CONTACT LEGISLATION
German Mineral Oil Ordinance & Printing Ink Ordinance
In Germany, the 3rd draft of the Mineral Oil Ordinance was released in July 2014, with the German Federal Government reviewing comments it received during the consultation at the end of the year. The planned Mineral Oil Ordinance revision is part of a wider review of the German Consumer Goods Ordinance (Bedarfsgegenständeverordnung), including also the Printing Ink Ordinance (Druckfarbenverordnung), which shall contain a list of substances, which may be used in the manufacture of printing inks for food contact materials.
This Ordinance is already in its 6th draft, but it appears that a final version is now on the horizon. The Ordinance will contain a positive list for permitted
components, such as solvents and additives, together with migration limits. It is to apply to both direct and in-direct food contact applications, unlike the similar Swiss Ordinance on materials and articles.
The German Ordinance for printing inks and varnishes is keenly awaited by the industry, as it is expected to have a substantial effect at an EU level, setting a precedent or possibly becoming the de-facto standard.
Food labelling
End of 2014, the new Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers entered into force, including requirements regarding provision of allergen information, origin information for fresh meat, as well as rules to improve legibility.
Rules relating to mandatory nutritional labelling for processed food will only
apply from 13 December 2016. Work is also underway on developing an EU database to facilitate the identification of all EU and national mandatory labelling rules in a simple way. The work for the creation of the database should be carried out during 2015.
2. UPDATE OF EC BREF STS
FINAT is closely monitoring the upcoming revision of the EC BREF STS (the Reference Document for Best Available Techniques on Surface Treatment using Organic Solvents) The document outlines available techniques for the reduction of solvent emissions.
We have engaged with other associations through the ESVOC platform, preparing an initial position before the official revision process by the European Commission begins. After a number of delays,
FINAT YEARBOOK 2015 |