Mineral oil ordinance: German ministry sets limits, requires functional barrier

摘要

Germany's Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) presented the second draft version of its "mineral oil ordinance" (Twenty-First Ordinance Amending the Consumer Goods Ordinance) on 16 May 2013. The first draft version was dated 2 May 2011 and, among other things, fixed limits for the migration to food of certain saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons from food contact materials made from recycled fibres; besides, it included corresponding marking obligations. In contrast, the new, updated version more generally expresses the need "to limit" the migration of mineral oil hydrocarbons, stipulating that the migration of aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) with a carbon number of 10 to 25 "is generally not permissible."