Global Food Contact Materials Regulations

This module will look at the regulations that directly impact FCMs in key markets in Africa. Countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya and South Africa will be examined.

After an overview of the regulations, other topics to be discussed include:

• Egypt: Ministerial Decree No 73/2001 for FCMs, including standards and methods for testing certain specific FCMs (eg plastic, enamel, glass, paper, metal, child resistant packaging)
• Morocco: Decree No 2-10-473, including migration of FCM-substances from plastic, ceramic, vitreous FCM and printing inks
• Tunisia: Decree 2003-1718, including amendments from 2005 and 2012
• Kenya: standards for the overall migration of FCM-substances from plastic, polystyrene, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), paper and paper-board, PP (polypropylene) FCM; and 
• South Africa: the Foodstuffs, Disinfectants and Cosmetics Act (FDCA) 54 (1972) amended in 2009, with a focus on two newer regulations: Regulation 879/2011 on Bisphenol A (BPA) and Regulation 962/2012 on the safety requirements for FCMs.

During this module you will learn about:

• what FCM Regulations are in force in key African markets such as Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya and South Africa
• what FCM substances have been cleared (listed in a positive list), where applicable
• what the restrictions are for certain key-listed FCM substances with respect to their specific migration limits (SMLs)
• which migration testing conditions are to be applied, with case study examples; and 
• how to demonstrate compliance with food contact applications in the above mentioned markets.

Ioan Paraschiv, PhD

Group Leader, Global Food & Food Contact Materials (FFCM) Division, Knoell, Netherlands