CEN is working on a new standard for hygiene management for food packaging. The latest ideas were presented at a June meeting of TC 261 on packaging. A CEN representative said that this standard would mainly affect food packaging particularly used to transport food, although it could cover other applications. Unlike the 5 packaging standards published in Feb, it is a voluntary standard. The aim is to harmonise hygiene standards for packaging at EU level. There are already national standards in some countries, eg, the UK. After 3 or 4 of these initiatives were set up, manufacturers thought it was better to stop a proliferation of these standards, & to have something accepted at EU level. TC261 working groups began studying the standard last year. In June it set up the CEN/TC 261/WG. A first document for public enquiry is not planned until the end of 2005.
