Denmark, Finland, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway and Sweden have in 2013–2015 conducted a Nordic project on food contact materials. Food contact materials are used in all stages of food production and can be a general source of contamination. The food safety authorities in most of the Nordic countries have had a limited focus on the FCM area with the exception of Denmark and Finland. The aim of the project was therefore to control establishments producing, importing or using plastic food contact materials as well as to increase the knowledge of the inspectors performing these controls. The focus of the inspections was to control the declaration of compliance (DoC) for plastic food contact materials. The requirement for a Doc is mandatory in order to ensure that the FCM complies with the legislation. In addition some products were analyzed for phthalates.

Documentation of compliance with the legislation is a corner stone in the control of food contact materials (FCM). In-house control is an important pre-requisite to limit contamination from FCM and shall be based on the declaration of compliance and supporting documentation at the responsible business operators in the supply chain. The goal of this project was to develop a Nordic checklist on documentation of compliance for FCM. The Nordic checklist contains several templates. The different templates provide check points on the minimum requirements for a declaration of compliance for all types of materials. The templates are meant to be used by industry and trade as guidance for drafting a declaration of compliance. Furthermore, the check lists are also meant to be tools for the public food and FCM inspection.

In-house control and the documentation of it is the basis for the assurance of compliance with legislation, in the food area and in the area of food contact materials (FCM). Safe use of FCM is a complicated area, in general, and specifically the use of printing inks and the critical points in the printing process. One of the goals for this check list is to contribute to the development of more uniform control and requirements for in-house control. Printing inks used in FCM are regulated by these general requirements and some uses are addressed more specifically , and as there is no specific legislation in the area in EU yet. In-house documentation is based on the assumption, that each link in the supply chain ensures compliance. The check lists set a frame with minimum requirements to all relevant links in the supply chain from producers to food industry and trade. The check lists are guidance to industry and trade in order to ensure compliance with the requirements in the FCM.

Metals and alloys are widely applied as food contact materials, e.g. as process equipment in the food industry and as household utensils. Therefore, they are a potential source of food contamination. Migration of substances from food contact materials to food must not occur in amounts that endanger human health. Relevant for food contact materials made from metals and alloys are the migration (release) of metals, both the main components and foreseen impurities. In-house control based on a declaration of compliance, DoC, and supporting documentation at the producers and importers are important prerequisites to limit this contamination and to ensure compliance with the legislation. This is considered a general part of quality assurance, even though the European legislation does not specifically require a DoC for metals and alloys used as food contact materials. This Nordic guideline gives a short overview of toxicology, analytical feasibility, legislation and guideline values for release of metals from food contact materials. Therefore, the guideline will be a useful tool for industry and official food inspectors.

Packaging continues to be one of the most important and innovative areas in food processing. Edited by a leading expert in the field, and with its distinguished international team of contributors, Novel food packaging techniques provides an authoritative and comprehensive review of the key trends.Part one discusses the range of active packaging techniques such as the use of oxygen and other scavengers, moisture regulation and antimicrobial packaging in food preservation. It also covers the use of intelligent systems such as time-temperature and freshness indicators to assess food quality. Part two reviews developments in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and its role in enhancing product safety and quality. Part three describes packaging applied in practice to particular products such as meat and fish. Part four covers other key issues such as packaging optimisation, the legislative context, sustainable packaging and consumer attitudes.Novel food packaging techniques is a standard reference for the food industry in optimising the use of packaging to improve product safety and quality. - Provides an authoritative and comprehensive review of the key trends of food packaging - Discusses the range of active packaging techniques such as the use of oxygen and other scavengers, moisture regulation and antimicrobial packaging in food preservation - Covers packaging optimisation, the legislative context, sustainable packaging and consumer attitudes

Food and beverages can be very aggressive chemical milieu and may interact strongly with materials that they touch. Whenever food is placed in contact with another substance, there is a risk that chemicals from the contact material may migrate into the food. These chemicals may be harmful if ingested in large quantities, or impart a taint or odour to the food, negatively affecting food quality. Food packaging is the most obvious example of a food contact material. As the demand for pre-packaged foods increases, so might the potential risk to consumers from the release of chemicals into the food product. Chemical migration and food contact materials reviews the latest controls and research in this field and how they can be used to ensure that food is safe to eat.Part one discusses the regulation and quality control of chemical migration into food. Part two reviews the latest developments in areas such as exposure estimation and analysis of food contact materials. The final part contains specific chapters on major food contact materials and packaging types, such as recycled plastics, metals, paper and board, multi-layer packaging and intelligent packaging.With its distinguished editors and international team of authors, Chemical migration and food contact materials is an essential reference for scientists and professionals in food packaging manufacture and food processing, as well as all those concerned with assessing the safety of food. - Reviews worldwide regulation of food contact materials - Includes the latest developments in the analysis of food contact materials - Looks in detail at different food contact materials