ANTIMICROBIALS IN FOOD-CONTACT APPLICATIONS IN THE EU -A REGULATORY PUEE

摘要

The paper will review the regulatory situation in the EU of food contact plastics additives in general focussing specifically on substances with antimicrobial activity. The EU currently is in the process of harmonising legislation on food-contact substances, by adopting measures to replace the existing national provisions of the Member States. The "Framework Regulation" governing all food-contact materials, is presently in force in all the Member States, establishing the general principles of safety and organoleptic qualities. The Plastics Directive is a specific measure, which applies to materials consisting exclusively of plastics. It provides a complete positive list of permissible monomers and an initial list of additives, which have been reviewed and considered safe by the European Food Safety Authority. AT the present time, unlisted additives may still be used, provided they meet the general EU and the relevant national requirements. Concerning antimicrobial substances, there are different EU-wide regulatory instruments covering food contact uses, which differ in their scope based on (1) the intended application and (20) the actual effect of the active substances. The paper will provide a detailed analysis of the effect of the use conditions and the potential migration of the substance into the contacted foodstuffs in order to define the appropriate legal requirements governing the applications.