The latest addition to the portfolio of EU regs is the implementation of the Materials & Articles in Contact with Food (England) Regs 2008, with parallel rules in N Ireland, Wales & Scotland. Through the legislation, the UK has implemented EC Directive 2007/19/EC, which amends the EC Plastics in Contact with Foodstuffs Legislation (2002/72/EC). Most significantly, the new regulation requires a Declaration of Compliance to accompany all food contact plastics. In the past, it was unclear whether plastics used in gaskets in metal lids were subject to the same regulation as other food contact plastics. The new legislation stipulates that gaskets are to be treated in the same way & subject to the authorisation processes for monomers & additives, together with any migration limits that apply. Additionally, some restrictions on plasticicers that are widely used in these gaskets have been modified.
