Food Contact Materials
“Food Contact Materials ”(FCM) refers to all materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, such as packaging and containers, kitchenware and tableware, or machinery to process food.
The European law that governs food contact materials is (EC) Regulation no. 1935/2004, which establishes the general requirements said materials must comply with and the specific measures that contain detailed provisions for certain materials (plastic, ceramic materials etc.).
The principle underlying this regulation is that the materials or articles intended to come into contact with foodstuff, either directly or indirectly, must be sufficiently inert to preclude substances from being transferred to food in quantities large enough to endanger human health or to bring about an unacceptable change in the composition of the food or a deterioration in its organoleptic properties. Therefore, all materials and articles must be produced in compliance with good manufacturing practices (GMP) adhering to the provisions of (EC) Reg. no. 2023/2006.
The two EC regulations concern the whole supply chain, which does not just involve production and processing, but also distribution, including the import of the materials and articles in question.
