Regulatory News
GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS AND ARTICLES
Commission Regulation 2023/2006/EC, published on December 22nd, 2006, establishes rules for the adoption of Good Manufacturing Practice for materials and articles coming into contact with food.
All materials and articles covered by Regulation 1935/2004/EC also fall within the scope of 2023/2006/EC, i.e. not only plastics but also other materials.
The Regulation requires that all business operators shall establish, implement and ensure adherence to an effective and documented quality assurance system.
This GMP was triggered by a recent event last year when ITX, a photoinitiator used in printing inks was found in baby milk.
This was caused by the so-called SET OFF effect, consisting of mechanical transfer of chemical substances from the outer surface of a film to the inner surface by contact in a film roll.
Although EFSA assessed the event as not critical for consumer health, the Commission took the decision to publish the new GMP with the aim of controlling potential risks caused by such effect.
In the regulation a specific Annex deals with GMP in the field of printed food contact materials, with the aim of preventing transfer of inks and ink components to the surface in direct contact with food and prohibiting printing on this surface.
The Regulation will come into force on August 1st, 2008.
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