EU Publishes Guidance on Plastics Regulation

The European Union (EU) released a 45-page document, titled, Union Guidelines on Regulation (EU) 10/2011 on plastic materials and article intended to come into contact with food, on February 21, 2014.

This Guidance document covers general aspects of the Plastics Regulation, including:

• An explanation of what is covered by the Plastics Regulation,
• Definitions of certain terms not defined in the Plastics Regulation,
• Explanations concerning which substances are included in the Union list (positive list),
• Information on why substances are exempted from the Union list and the applicable provisions for those substances,
• Clarification on the status of biocides in plastic food contact materials and articles,
• A discussion on dual use additives and an indicative list of dual use additives, and
• An explanation on the transitional provisions.

This document is part of a series of guidance documents pertaining to the Plastics Regulation. In addition to this guidance, the series includes guidance on migration testing (in preparation), guidance on migration modeling, and guidance on information in the supply chain (issued November 28, 2013).