Impacts of food contact chemicals on human health: a consensus statement

Abstract

Food packaging is of high societal value because it conserves and protects food, makes food transportable and conveys information to consumers. It is also relevant for marketing, which is of economic significance. Other types of food contact articles, such as storage containers, processing equipment and filling lines, are also important for food production and food supply. Food contact articles are made up of one or multiple different food contact materials and consist of food contact chemicals. However, food contact chemicals transfer from all types of food contact materials and articles into food and, consequently, are taken up by humans. Here we highlight topics of concern based on scientific findings showing that food contact materials and articles are a relevant exposure pathway for known hazardous substances as well as for a plethora of toxicologically uncharacterized chemicals, both intentionally and non-intentionally added. We describe areas of certainty, like the fact that chemicals migrate from food contact articles into food, and uncertainty, for example unidentified chemicals migrating into food. Current safety assessment of food contact chemicals is ineffective at protecting human health. In addition, society is striving for waste reduction with a focus on food packaging. As a result, solutions are being developed toward reuse, recycling or alternative (non-plastic) materials. However, the critical aspect of chemical safety is often ignored. Developing solutions for improving the safety of food contact chemicals and for tackling the circular economy must include current scientific knowledge. This cannot be done in isolation but must include all relevant experts and stakeholders. Therefore, we provide an overview of areas of concern and related activities that will improve the safety of food contact articles and support a circular economy. Our aim is to initiate a broader discussion involving scientists with relevant expertise but not currently working on food contact materials, and decision makers and influencers addressing single-use food packaging due to environmental concerns. Ultimately, we aim to support science-based decision making in the interest of improving public health. Notably, reducing exposure to hazardous food contact chemicals contributes to the prevention of associated chronic diseases in the human population.

Assessing the Levels of Awareness among European Citizens about the Direct and Indirect Impacts of Plastics on Human Health

“…Food packaging was marked as a modality used by almost all participants. The importance of properly informing the consumers about the type of plastics used for food packaging and the effect it might have on their health should be considered urgent private and governmental priority, considering that chemicals from those materials migrate into the food that we consume daily [ 40 ].…”

Chemical Exposure: European Citizens’ Perspectives, Trust, and Concerns on Human Biomonitoring Initiatives, Information Needs, and Scientific Results

“…There was also variation in the length of each focus group (60-180 min) and the number of participants (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14). Although refreshments were offered during the focus groups, lengthy focus groups may have led to participant and facilitator exhaustion.…”

“…Citizens are exposed to a wide range of environmental chemicals in their daily lives, in different contexts and via multiple routes, including indoors and outdoors (e.g., air, soil, and water contamination [1,2]; consumer products (e.g., cosmetics, cleaning agents, textiles) [3][4][5]; food, as chemicals are widely used in food production (e.g., antimicrobial drugs in food-producing animals [6], including pesticides to control pests that affect crop production [7], food packaging [8], and pollinators which are directly involved in around one-third of global food production [9]); drinking water [10]; and at work [11,12]. Increased vulnerability to chemical exposure occurs during childhood [13] and pregnancy [14,15], which may impair lifetime health [16].…”

Tackling the toxics in plastics packaging

“…But that is not the only problem with plastic. In addition, plastics are not inert, and smaller molecules transfer from plastic packaging into food [ 11 , 12 ]. This process of chemical transfer is known as “migration,” and it has been shown also for hazardous chemicals and for chemicals with unknown toxicity [ 13 , 14 ].…”