A wide variety of adhesives can be used to manufacture multilayer food packaging materials. Since these materials are usually in direct contact with the packed food, compounds from the adhesive may migrate into it. Therefore it is important to determine the composition of the adhesives used. The main aims of this work were to determine the compounds present in the adhesives used in the food packaging, to study their migration to food simulants and finally to use these data to test a mathematical tool designed for predicting migration to food from laminates containing adhesives. For this purpose a total of 45 market samples of multilayer materials (laminates and other glued materials) produced with 29 different adhesives were studied. A total of 55 different compounds were detected in these adhesives, 57% of these compounds migrated into a dry food simulant (Tenax®) through the food contact layer. These data were also used to compare it with the theoretically estimated migration of the adhesive compounds using “upper-bound reference” values for the diffusion and partition coefficients implied in a multilayer migration model. In 93% of the cases the estimated migration results met or exceeded the experimental ones. This is an important requirement for testing the applicability of these theoretical migration estimations for compliance decisions which aim to protect the consumer's health.

The European Food Safety Authority is re-evaluating styrene for assessing the safety of food contact materials (FCM) such as polystyrene (PS) and started a systematic review of the data on migration levels in food. A restriction for styrene is expected in the near future. The main food contact application of PS is dairy packaging, mainly at refrigerated storage. In this study, seventeen dairy products packed in PS taken from the Italian and German markets were investigated. Styrene concentrations in the refrigerated dairy products (yogurt, cream) ranged from 5 to 30 µg/kg at the best before date, while in single serving portions of coffee creamer, which were stored at room temperature until the best before date of approx. 190 days, 401 µg/kg were measured. Among several parameters, the ratio between the surface contact area of the package and the quantity of the food packed, the time/temperature conditions of production/filling and storage of the products were identified as the main factors influencing styrene migration into food under realistic conditions. Yogurts fermented in the pots for approximately 8 h at 40–50 °C showed higher styrene levels than those fermented in an incubator and filled at 20 °C. The fat content might influence the styrene level but the effect, if any, was too small in relation to the variability of other parameters. Levels of styrene migrating into 50% ethanol food simulant under standardized condition (10 days/40 °C) were found to be much higher than levels in refrigerated foods. This raises the question as to whether compliance testing for PS plastics should be adapted taking into consideration the correlation between migration testing by laboratory simulations and migration into real food.

The use of nanoadditives in food contact materials requires risk assessment to ensure consumers’ safety. The evaluation of health risk is based on the combination of two elements: hazard and exposure. For nanomaterials (NM) used as additives in nanocomposites, the exposure is directly linked to the level of migration or release of the NM into the food. In principle, appropriate methods for experimental determination and theoretical estimation of migration are available but need diligent considerations to avoid erroneous conclusions from the measured data. We propose a comprehensive test scheme based on these methods, starting with characterization of the nanomaterial itself and when incorporated in the polymer. These data form the basis for making a decision whether migration of the NM can be excluded by migration theoretical considerations or if experimental migration testing and/or abrasion testing for mechanical release should be carried out. Guidance to and considerations for each of these steps and regarding the applicable methods are discussed. In conclusion, the results will provide a basis for risk assessment, either directly when exposure of consumers to the nanomaterials can be excluded or will be very low or, in the case of evidenced exposure, in combination with then needed toxicological data.

Migration kinetic data from general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) were generated for a set of model substances as well as styrene monomer and oligomers at different temperatures (20 °C, 40 °C, 60 °C) using food simulants stipulated in the European Regulation (EU) 10/2011 and real foods like milk, cream and olive oil (20 °C, 40 °C). The extent of polymer swelling was characterized gravimetrically and visual changes of the test specimens after migration contact were recorded. Isooctane and 95% ethanol caused strong swelling and visual changes of HIPS, overestimating real migration into foods especially at high temperatures; GPPS was affected by isooctane only at 60 °C. With 50% ethanol, after 10 days contact at 60 °C or 40 °C both polymers were slightly swollen. Contrary, most of the real foods analyzed caused no detectable swelling or visual changes of the investigated polymers. This study demonstrates that the recommendations provided by EU regulations are not always in agreement with the physicochemical properties of styrenic polymers. The critical point remains the selection of adequate food simulants/testing conditions, since the high overestimation of aggressive media can lead to non-compliance of polystyrene materials even if the migration into real food would be of no concern.

Most food packages and food-contact materials are manufactured using adhesives. The European Union regulates all food-contact materials, as their constituents may not contaminate food and endanger consumers’ health. In contrast to plastics which are regulated by positive lists of authorized ingredients, adhesives have not yet a specific regulation. The MIGRESIVES project aimed to elaborate a scientific global risk-assessment approach to meet current general European Union regulatory requirements and as a basis for future specific European Union legislation as well as to provide the industry, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, a tool to ensure that migration from adhesives is in compliance with the regulatory requirements. The idea was to demonstrate that consumers’ exposure to chemicals released by adhesives is in many cases below levels of concern. Technical/scientific knowledge from industry and research institutes will be merged into a collective research endeavour gathering all stakeholders. The major milestones are (1) the classification of adhesives according to chemistry and uses, (2) the test strategies based on physico-chemical behaviour of adhesives, (3) modelling migration/exposure from adhesives, (4) providing guidelines to integrate the risk-assessment approach into the daily life of companies, (5) the feasibility of applying the toxicological approach from the European Union BIOSAFEPAPER project, and (6) extensive training/education to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large dissemination for general adoption of the concept in Europe.

Paper and board are widely used as food contact materials. For such sensitive applications, consumer safety regarding the transfer of chemical components and contaminants to the food needs to be established. Such safety assessments are becoming increasingly challenging not only due to intentionally added substances but also non-intentionally added substances. In the European Union, compliance testing and safety evaluation of paper in food contact are largely based on national legislation and standards. The underlying tests are conventional methods, often overestimating and sometimes underestimating the migration into food. In this article, the relevant standard test methods are contrasted with currently available scientific knowledge. The scientific approaches to develop and identify suitable test methods are critically reviewed. Furthermore, theoretical predictions via mathematical modeling, with the aim to realistically simulate transfer to food, are presented and discussed in comparison with available migration studies with foods. Objectives are to (i) summarize the actual scientific knowledge in the field and draw conclusions regarding the potential and limitations of the existing test methods and (ii) identify research gaps toward a better qualitative and quantitative understanding of transport processes of volatile and non-volatile substances from paper and board into foods.