Working Party on Materials and Articles in contact with Food or Drink: Annual Review of Current Research Projects 2004

Tuesday 7 September 2004

Research commissioned by the Food Standards Agency into chemical migration from food contact materials and articles, provides information and practical methods to help the Agency to meet its consumer safety objectives.

The Working Party on Materials and Articles in Contact with Food or Drink gives independent advice on this research. The aim of the programme is to help build a sound scientific basis for UK input to international negotiations in the European Union. The experimental work includes: the development of test methods for chemical migration; the investigation of factors that may influence chemical migration; and the study of materials used in food contact applications with a view to identifying possible migrants from starting substances or reaction and breakdown products.

An extensive range of materials is researched. For example, projects include work on latex protein transfer, ion-exchange resins, silicones, and colourants used in plastics. Projects are awarded to contractors after open competition and are managed carefully to ensure value for money in both the science that they produce and their relevance to the work of the Agency.

To ensure that work in this research programme relates to current industrial practice, the membership of the Working Party on Materials and Articles in Contact with Food or Drink includes experts from industry as well as consumer and regulatory interests. The activities of the Working Party are structured around two meetings a year, in the spring and autumn. The spring meeting reviews research projects in progress, while the one in the autumn considers future research.

The review document provides a full record of the spring 2004 meeting. It has been produced as part of the Agency's policy of openness, to disseminate information about this research programme to stakeholders.

For further information please contact:
Dr Paul Willetts
Room 515C, Aviation House
125 Kingsway
London
WC2B 6NH

tel: 020 7276 8540
fax: 020 7276 8514
email: paul.willetts@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk