Food Contact Regulations Europe 2021

Geraint has more than 30 years of experience as a journalist covering environmental policy, with a particular focus on chemicals, business strategy and waste management. He started his career as a reporter for the international chemicals trade press before working at UK environmental policy journal The ENDS Report. He joined online global chemicals policy website Chemical Watch in 2008, becoming a member of the senior management team and head of journalism. At the end of last year he embarked on a freelance career.

Rachida Semail is a partner at Keller and Heckman LLP in the Brussels, Belgium office, affiliated with the Paris bar (France). Ms. Semail assists clients with food packaging matters, particularly with the establishment of suitable EU status for articles and materials intended for food-contact. She has extensive experience on subject matters not harmonized at the EU level, as is the case in much of the food-contact sector, where mutual recognition is of paramount importance.

In a position equivalent to partner, Anna is Director EHS Regulatory in Steptoe’s Brussels office.  A European Patent Attorney, with a PhD in analytical chemistry and quantum chemistry and more than 20 years of experience as a scientific and regulatory adviser in law firms, she provides companies with comprehensive compliance strategies in areas such as: chemicals, food and feed, food contact materials, biocides, medical devices, and the application of nanomaterials.

Ruxandra defends industry interests towards legal and regulatory challenges to EU market access. Her practice is focused on EU regulatory law and litigation with a strong emphasis on product, environmental and sustainability regulations, across a large number of sectors ranging from raw materials (chemicals, minerals) to products such as electronics, consumer apparel, medical devices, cosmetics, food and food contact materials. Ruxandra also advises on supply-chain related matters, in particular environmental and regulatory. Although rules and regulations apply per jurisdiction, companies operate globally – her expertise and advice assist companies address global challenges and risks. Ruxandra’s litigation experience is extensive (she defended close to 100 actions before the European Court of Justice and before the Board of Appeal of ECHA), and she has formed and continues to act as a trusted advisor to more than 30 industry groups.

Miguel Angel Prieto Arranz, is a chemist by training, and is currently the Director of the “Food & feed”- and “Plastic Additives”-clusters in Cefic (the European Chemical Industry Council). He is the responsible Sector Group manager for “FCA” –Food Contact Additives. Before joining Cefic, he worked for four years in FoodDrinkEurope (the association of the European food and drink manufacturing industries) as food policy, science and R&D manager. Prior to that, he worked as R&D manager at the Technology Transfer Center Bremerhaven (ttz-Bremerhaven) in Germany.

Christof Walter is a trained chemist with a PhD in Computational Chemistry. In 2016 he joined the German Paint and Printing Ink Association (VdL) as technical and regulatory affairs officer for Food Contact Materials and Biocides. Additionally, he is in charge of Food Contact Materials at the European Printing Ink Association (EuPIA)

Neil Finley graduated in Chemical Engineering from University of Manchester’s Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) in 1986 and has held various roles in the chemical industry for over 30 years.

Luke has spent over a decade editing and reporting for diverse international B2B and technical publications covering: green fuels, oil and petrochemicals, air and sea transportation and logistics, and construction. He joined Chemical Watch in 2016.

Jonathan has a BSc degree in biochemistry (toxicology) from the University of Surrey and has previously worked for the UK's Food Standards Agency as a senior scientific officer on risk management of chemicals in food, including contaminants, pesticides and food contact materials.

Franz Fiala has managed the Consumer Council at Austrian Standards International (formerly Austrian Standards Institute, ASI) since its creation in 1991. This institution represents consumer interests in national, European and international standardisation groups as well as in associated regulatory fora.

Tom Gillett advises clients on environmental and product law, with a focus on chemicals regulation (REACH, CLP, biocides, food contact), product safety and standards (CE/UKCA marking, RoHS, WEEE), sustainability, and the circular economy (packaging, producer responsibility and waste) in both the EU and the UK. Tom’s product defense experience includes: strategic advice for maintaining market access; advocacy before EU and UK institutions and agencies; appeals before the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Board of Appeal; regulatory investigations; and commercial disputes concerning product compliance, safety and liability.

Kate Lowe joined the regulatory information service Chemical Watch News & Insight as managing editor in 2020, becoming head of editorial in 2022. A politics graduate, she has worked as an editor, launch editor and business director across numerous business and professional sectors. These include commercial property, information technology, estates management, social care and, most recently, commercial horticulture where she campaigned successfully to secure public funds for applied agricultural research.  

Mr. Ioan Paraschiv, next to managing the capacity within FFCM Division, provides regulatory and technical support on registration of food contact materials (FCM) in EU, USA, China and Mercosur. He holds a PhD degree in Physical-Organic Chemistry from Wageningen University, the Netherlands.

Dr. Klatt graduated as Ph.D. of Science from University of Goettingen in 1992. From 1992 until 1995 he was working at University of Goettingen as Senior Scientist. In 1995 he joined BASF SE and started in polymer research in the field of engineering plastics and flame retardants for polymers. After an interim research position from 2007 until 2014, Dr. Klatt returned to the field of product safety and took over the product stewardship group of dispersions and resins. He represents BASF in various associations including the European association for dispersions (EPDLA) and the European manufacturer of Acrylate based UV/EB Resins (UVEB). Dr. Klatt was one of the founders of the initiative of CEPI and ECPG to align on an internet-based questionnaire for information transfer along the value chain. He currently is President of the two CEFIC Sector groups EPDLA and UVEB and of ALIPA.

Dario has a Doctor degree in Polymer Chemistry from the University of Pisa, as well as a Masters in Food Legislation from Michigan State University

Justine has an educational background in International, European and environmental law and works in the Zero Waste Europe team on Consumption and Production where she leads work on food contact materials, particularly the health impacts from single use packaging.

Mike Simoni has a degree in Industrial and Natural Resource Chemistry from Brunel University.  He has spent 35 years working in technical functions within the printing ink manufacturing industry, with the last 26 years working in a variety of roles within Sun Chemical.

During more than 20 years Dr Michel Cassart has built up an industrial experience in Plastics by occupying various management positions in R&D, Customer Services, Polymer Production Process, Business Management & Business strategy. In 2016 he joined PlasticsEurope to coordinate Food Contact, REACH and some sector groups’ activities. In 2020 Michel moved to the position of Sustainable Use Director coordinating all activities related to the sustainable use of plastics and covering as well topics, such as safety of plastics and microplastics. PlasticsEurope, one of the leading European trade associations, is representing more than 100 member companies, producing over 90% of all polymers across the EU27 member states plus Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and UK.

Dr. Driffield has 25 years’ experience in the field of analytical chemistry, providing advice and guidance on the analytical techniques used to investigate problems across a number of commodities and Industries including food, beverages, packaging such as plastics, coatings and printing inks, and fuels.