Germany Updates Food-Contact Recommendations

The German Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has updated the following Food-Contact Recommendations (the updates are dated April 1, 2022):

• Recommendation XIV (Polymer Dispersions)
• Recommendation XXI (Commodities based on natural and synthetic rubber)
• Recommendation XXI/1 (Commodities based on natural and synthetic rubber in contact with food)
• Recommendation XXXVI (Paper and board for food contact)
• Recommendation XXXVI/1 (Cooking papers, hot filter papers and filter layers)
• Recommendation XXXVI/2. (Paper and paperboard for baking purposes)
• Recommendation LI (Temperature resistant polymer coating systems for frying, cooking and baking utensil)

One of the updates was the addition of a statement extending the scope of Recommendation XXXVI (Paper and board for food contact) to include fiber casting. Most of the other updates involved the addition or delisting of chemicals. 

The BfR recommendations are not legally binding, however, they are widely respected by industry throughout the European Union.