Ec Considering Revision Of Council Directive 84/500/Eec On Ceramic Articles Intended To Come Into Contact With Foodstuffs.

The European Commission is considering revising the current Council Directive 84/500/EEC on ceramic articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs. Discussions on the scope of the Directive, legal limits of lead, cadmium and additional metals as well as test conditions for checking compliance of such materials and articles are taking place with different stakeholders. Within this discussion the role of JRC is to provide data on 1) what metals migrate from ceramic tableware, and 2) how much migrates. Investigating and identifying those foods into which highest migration of metals from tableware can be expected. For example, metals can migrate to a greater extent when a food is acidic such as tomato sauce or vinegar. Compare these foods, that can be very complex in composition, to simpler liquids that can simulate them in order to develop tests that are easy to perform in the laboratory and reproducible between labs. Finding test conditions that mimic the way of use of ceramics and glass articles in relation to contact time and temperature that can lead to highest migration, for example not only for serving food but also for cooking or baking.Tests are normally developed to simulate worst case use and to represent an everyday use over an entire lifetime. This may be the case for many articles made of ceramics or glass but not true for all of them, for example very traditional or hand-made articles. Some ceramic and glass articles are only used occasionally, e.g. a crystal wine glass, inherited old porcelain service plates, or a baking mould for a Christmas cake. In order to investigate if future legislation should consider the concept of occasional use in setting legal limits for such articles a questionnaire has been developed. Not everyone has the same habits or attitudes towards occasional use. The EC is, therefore, conducting a survey to understand what is perceived as occasional use for consumers across the EU. For this, your help is required and opinions as a user of ceramic and glass articles for the development of the definition of "OCCASIONAL USE."