Smithers Pira: Risk of NIAS top of the agenda at Food Contact conference
Other topics include guidance surrounding food packaging inks, latest developments in the regulation of nanomaterials and the impact of Biocidal Products Regulation on Packaging.
Flexible Packaging Europe
Hayley Marsden, senior conference producer, Smithers Pira, told FoodProductionDaily, over 24 presentations will be delivered by food contact experts including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), associations CEPI, Flexible Packaging Europe, EuPIA and legal experts Steptoe and Johnson and Keller and Heckman.
“The regulatory landscape for food contact materials is continually developing, both in terms of new legislation, regulatory guidance and best practice standards, so it is imperative food manufacturers, food packaging suppliers and those providing food packaging components stay up-to-date with these developments, to ensure their products are compliant, not only in the EU, but in all geographies they supply to,” she said.
“We think there are a couple of questions on everyone’s lips this year and these are how is the industry getting on with the evaluation of non-intentionally added substances in plastics and what is the Commission going to legislate on next? Both of which will certainly be discussed at the conference.”
This is the 31st edition of the event, and, after Smithers Pira celebrated the 30th edition at a special event in London last year and over 180 delegates are expected to share ideas and discuss regulatory developments in food packaging.
There are two pre-conference workshops, one led by Smithers Pira's food contact experts, and the other providing hands-on training with FACET (Flavourings, Additives, and food Contact materials Exposure Tool).
FrieslandCampina
A session dedicated to food industry perspectives on food packaging compliance, will include speakers from both a brand owner and retailer; Dr Elly Spies, manager regulatory affairs, FrieslandCampina consumer products EMEA, and Paul Earnshaw, packaging manager, Tesco.
On the Paper conference day, packaging companies DS Smith and MM Karton will talk about paper based packaging compliance to European food contact regulations in the absence of a specific measure, alongside a presentation of FACET, and an evaluation of different mineral oil barriers for cardboard packed food from Fraunhofer IVV.
“Smithers Pira’s food contact experts, Nick Kernoghan and Dr Alistair Irvine will be chairing the plastics days of the conference, with Barry Podd, former director of Regulatory Affairs at Kimberley Clark as chair of the paper conference,” said Marsden.
“Other guest speakers include Marcello Pezzi, product safety manager, European Paper and Packaging, DS Smith; Laurence Castle, principal scientist, FERA and Dr Eric Barthemely, scientific officer for Food Contact materials, Food Ingredient and Packaging Unit at EFSA, to cover hot topics such as FACET and EFSA’s draft revised guidelines.”
The local enforcement perspective will be given by Dr Beate Brauer from the Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt, Münsterland-Emscher-Lippe, in addition to legal representatives from Keller and Heckman and Steptoe and Johnson, providing updates on the Basic Resin Doctrine, the different regulatory approaches of EU, USA, Japan and China and specialty papers in contact with food.
