Materials that come into contact with food are subject to European legislation. In good manufacturing practice and under normal conditions, they must not release components into the food in quantities that

• endanger human health,
• lead to an unacceptable change in the composition of the food or
• cause an adverse effect on the organoleptic properties of the food (e.g. taste or smell).

As a manufacturer of plastic food contact materials, you are responsible for complying with these requirements. You must ensure that the contact materials are harmless to health.

In Germany, there is no obligation to obtain approval for finished plastic products for food contact, such as packaging. However, there is one for the substances and materials that your company uses in the manufacture of individual materials. The basis for this is an EU-wide coordinated and valid procedure.

You can only submit an application for authorization of a new substance for use in food contact plastics via the European Commission's online portal "E-Submission Food Chain Platform" (ESFC).

The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) is the national contact point in Germany. If you select the BVL as your contact point, the BVL will formally check the application for completeness and relevance of the documents. The BVL then forwards it to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

The EFSA examines your application on the basis of scientific findings. The European Commission decides on the actual approval. Even in the event of non-authorization, the European Commission will inform you and give reasons for its decision.

If the substance meets all food law requirements, it will be added to the so-called Union list of substances permitted in plastics for food contact in accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011. This means that you and, if applicable, other companies may use the substance for the production of plastic materials with food contact.

You must inform the EU Commission immediately if you have new scientific or technical findings that may affect the assessment of the safety of the substance in relation to human health.