The Grupo Mercado Común (GMC) of MERCOSUR (Mercado Común Del Sur or the “Common Market of the South”) approved GMC Res. 48/23, “Modification of GMC Resolution No. 46/06, MERCOSUR Technical Regulation on provisions for metal containers, coatings, utensils, lids and equipment in contact with food” on December 5, 2023.
GMC Res. 48/23, previously known as Proposed draft resolution (P. Res.) No. 02/22 Rev. 1, includes the following amendments to GMC Res. 46/06:
MERCOSUR (Mercado Común Del Sur or the “Common Market of the South”) has released a draft resolution that would regulate the composition of silicones used in food-contact materials. The draft resolution includes a positive list of polymers, additives, starting materials, and other substances that would be permitted for use in the manufacture of silicones once the regulation is final.
The Grupo Mercado Común (GMC) of MERCOSUR (Mercado Común Del Sur or the “Common Market of the South”) recently published three resolutions that modify existing resolutions related to food-contact materials. The new resolutions (available in Spanish and Portuguese at: https://www.mercosur.int/documentos-y-normativa/normativa/ by selecting the “resoluciones” tab, and then “2021”) are listed below.
On December 4, 2019, Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) published Resolução Da Directoria Colegiada (RDC) No. 326, de 3 de Dezembro de 2019 (RDC 326/2019), the Technical Regulation on the positive list of additives for the preparation of plastic materials and polymeric coatings intended to contact food.
The Mercosur Technical Regulations on Positive List of Additives for Plastic Materials and Polymeric Coatings Intended to Contact Food (GMC Res. 39/19) was adopted on July 15, 2019, after a 6-year revision process. This regulation must be transposed into Mercosur Member States’ laws to become effective and replace GMC Res. 32/07. This process could take up to a year, explained Associate Kathryn Skaggs at Keller and Heckman’s 20th Annual Food Packaging Law Seminar, held September 24-25, 2019, in Arlington, Virginia.
Concerning Panama’s ban on polyethylene shopping bags that recently became effective, is the legislation enforced at the store or customs level...
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issued two publications in May as part of its Series on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials, noting that risk assessment of nanomaterials can be challenging due to the difference in their physico-chemical properties as compared to non-nanomaterials. Consequently, these publications are intended to assist in the identification of useful parameters for analyzing nanomaterials, as well as the selection of best available methods for gathering relevant physico-chemical information on specific nanomaterials.