Statutory Rule 2000 No. 402

Plastic Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000

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The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety[1] in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Articles 15(2), 16(1), 25(1)(a) and 47(2) of the Food Safety (Northern Ireland) Order 1991[2] and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, having had regard in accordance with Article 47(3A) of the said Order to relevant advice given by the Food Standards Agency and after consultation in accordance with Article 47(3) and (3B) of the said Order, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement
1. These Regulations may be cited as the Plastic Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 and shall come into operation on 5th February 2001.

Amendment of Regulations
2. The Plastic Materials and Articles in Contact with Food Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998[3] ("the principal Regulations") shall be amended as follows.

3. In regulation 2(1) (interpretation), in the definition of "the Directive", for "and 96/11/EC[4]" there shall be substituted ", 96/11/EC and 1999/91/EC[5] (as corrected[6])".

4. For paragraph (4)(a) of regulation 3 (restriction on the use, sale or importation of plastic materials and articles) there shall be substituted - 
 

" (a) if - 
 
(i) it has been manufactured with a prohibited monomer as described in regulation 4(1);

(ii) it has been manufactured with a prohibited additive as described in regulation 5(1);

(iii) being a product obtained by bacterial fermentation, it does not comply with regulation 5A; or

(iv) it does not comply with regulation 4(5), 5(4) or 7,
 

and no defence indicated in regulation 4(7), 5(2) or 7(5) would be available in proceedings for an offence under these Regulations relating to that manufacture or want of compliance; or";

(a) in paragraph (1), after "prohibited monomer," there shall be inserted "that is to say any monomer";

(b) in paragraph (1)(c), for "restrictions (if any) specified" there shall be substituted "restrictions and specifications (if any) set out"; and

(c) paragraph (3)(d) shall be deleted.
 

(a) for paragraph (1) there shall be substituted - 

    " (1) Subject to the following paragraphs, no person shall use in the manufacture of plastic materials or articles any prohibited additive, that is to say an additive identified by PM/Ref No., CAS No. (if any) and name respectively in columns 1, 2 and 3 of Part I of Schedule 2 which - 
 
(a) is not of good technical quality, or

(b) is not used in accordance with the restrictions and specifications (if any) set out in the corresponding entry in column 4 of the relevant section of that Part of that Schedule."; and
 

(b) there shall be added at the end the following paragraphs - 

    " (4) Subject to paragraph (5), where column 4 of Part I of Schedule 2 expresses a migration limit of mg/kg in relation to any additive, no plastic material or article manufactured containing that additive shall be capable of transferring constituents of that additive to food with which that plastic material or article may come into contact in quantities exceeding the appropriate limit, and for the purposes of this paragraph the appropriate limit is - 
 
(a) the number of milligrams expressed therein released per kilogram of food in the case of any plastic material or article other than one specified in sub-paragraph (b); and

(b) one sixth of the number of milligrams expressed therein per square decimetre of surface area of the plastic material or article if the plastic material or article comprises - 
 

(i) an article which is a container or is comparable to a container or which can be filled, with a capacity of less than 500 millilitres or more than 10 litres, or

(ii) sheet, film or other material which cannot be filled or for which it is impracticable to estimate the relationship between the surface area of that material and the quantity of food in contact with that surface area.
 

    (5) A plastic material or article manufactured containing an additive in respect of which column 4 of Part I of Schedule 2 expresses a migration limit of mg/kg shall not be considered capable of transferring constituents of that additive to food with which that plastic material or article may come into contact in quantities exceeding the appropriate limit in paragraph (4) if the only food which that plastic material or article may come into contact with is food to which regulation 7(3) applies.".

" Products obtained by bacterial fermentation
5A. A product obtained by bacterial fermentation complies with this regulation if it is - 
 
(a) of good technical quality;

(b) identified by PM/Ref No., CAS No. and name respectively in columns 1, 2 and 3 of Schedule 2A; and

(c) in compliance with the restrictions and specifications given in column 4 of that Schedule.".
 

" Specifications
7A. Schedule 2B shall have effect for the purpose of giving the specifications referred to in column 4 in Schedules 1, 2 and 2A.".

    " (13) In any proceedings for an offence under these Regulations it shall be a defence to prove that - 
 
(a) the act was committed in relation to a plastic material or article intended to come into contact with food which was manufactured in the European Community, or imported into the European Community, before 1st January 2003, and

(b) the matters constituting the offence would not have constituted an offence under these Regulations before the amendments made by the Plastic Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 came into force.".
 

(a) in Part I, in section A, in column 4, for the heading "Restrictions" there shall be substituted "Restrictions and specifications";

(b) the item number and letter, PM/REF No., CAS No., name, restriction and specification (if any) for each monomer identified in Part I of Schedule 1 to these Regulations shall be inserted in Section A of Part I of Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations at the place corresponding to the number and letter (if any) specified for that monomer in the column headed "Item" in that Part of that Schedule to these Regulations;

(c) in Part I, in Section A, for the entries in column 4 (restrictions and specifications) opposite to and corresponding to the items listed in Part II of Schedule 1 to these Regulations there shall be substituted the corresponding entries specified in the said Part II;

(d) in Part I, in Section A, in item 196 the entry in column 4 (restrictions and specifications) shall be deleted;

(e) in Part I, in Section B, item 67 and the entries for it shall be deleted;

(f) in Part I, in Section B, for the entries in column 4 (restrictions) opposite to and corresponding to the items listed in Part III of Schedule 1 to these Regulations there shall be substituted the corresponding entries specified in Part III of Schedule 1 to these Regulations;

(g) in Part I, in Section B, after the entries relating to item 77 there shall be inserted the item number and letter, PM/REF No., CAS No., name and restriction for the monomer identified in Part IV of Schedule 1 to these Regulations;

(h) in Part I, the items in Section B which are listed in Part V of Schedule 1 to these Regulations, and the entries for those items in that Section, shall be deleted and there shall be inserted in Section A at the place corresponding to the number and letter (if any) specified for each item in the column headed "Item No. for Section A" in Part V of Schedule 1 to these Regulations the entries relating to that item in the said Part V; and

(i) in Part II there shall be added at the end the following paragraph - 
 

    (1) Warning: there is a risk that the specific migration limit could be exceeded in fatty food simulants.

    (2) SML(T) in this specific case means that the restriction shall not be exceeded by the sum of the migration of the following substances mentioned as PM/REF Nos: 10060 and 23920.

    (3) SML(T) in this specific case means that the restriction shall not be exceeded by the sum of the migration of the following substances mentioned as PM/REF Nos: 15760, 16990, 47680, 53650, 89440.

    (4) SML(T) in this specific case means that the restriction shall not be exceeded by the sum of the migration of the following substances mentioned as PM/REF Nos: 19540, 19960.

    (5) SML(T) in this specific case means that the restriction shall not be exceeded by the sum of the migration of the following substances mentioned as PM/REF Nos: 14200, 14230.

    (9) SML(T) in this specific case means that the restriction shall not be exceeded by the sum of the migration of the following substances:
 

(a) Badge (=2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) propane bis(2,3-epoxy propyl) ether

(b) Badge.H₂O

(d) Badge.HCl

(e) Badge.2HCl

(f) Badge.H₂O.HCl
 

11. In Schedule 2 (additives) - 
 

(a) in Part I there shall be added an extra column, numbered "4" and headed "Restrictions and specifications";

(b) the item number and letter, PM/REF No., CAS No., name, restriction and specification (if any) for each additive identified in Schedule 2 to these Regulations shall be inserted in Part I of Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations at the place corresponding to the number and letter specified for that additive in the column headed "Item" in Schedule 2 to these Regulations;

(c) in Part I, for the entries in column 2 (CAS No.) and column 3 (name) for item 38 there shall be substituted the following - 
 

     " 087826-41-3 Bis(methylbenzylidene) sorbitol

     069158-41-4      "      "      "

     054686-97-4      "      "      "

     081541-12-0      "      "      "";
 

(d) in Part I, for the entry in column 2 (CAS No.) for item 179 there shall be substituted the entry "037244-96-5";

(e) in Part I, item 195 and the entries for it shall be deleted; and

(f) in Part II, there shall be inserted at the end the following paragraph - 
 

     " 4. Where an entry in column 4 (restrictions and specifications) in Part 1 includes a bracketed number, that entry shall be subject to the note relating to that number as follows:

    (1) Warning: there is a risk that the specific migration limit could be exceeded in fatty food simulants.

    (3) SML(T) in this specific case means that the restriction shall not be exceeded by the sum of the migration of the following substances mentioned as PM/REF Nos: 15760, 16990, 47680, 53650, 89440.

    (6) SML(T) in this specific case means that the restriction shall not be exceeded by the sum of the migration of the following substances mentioned as PM/REF/Nos: 66560 and 66580.

    (7) SML(T) in this specific case means that the restriction shall not be exceeded by the sum of the migration of the following substances mentioned as PM/REF Nos: 30080, 42320, 45195, 45200, 53610, 81760, 89200, 92030.

    (8) SML (T) in this specific case means that the restriction shall not be exceeded by the sum of the migration of the following substances mentioned as PM/REF Nos: 85840 and 95725.

    (10) Warning: there is a risk that the migration of the substance deteriorates the organoleptic characteristics of the food in contact and then that the finished product does not comply with regulation 4(2) of the Materials and Articles in Contact with Food Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987[7].".
 

13. In Schedule 3 (provisions applicable when testing compliance with the migration limits) - 
 

(a) in paragraph 4(3) and (4), for "regulation 7 or Schedule 1" in each case there shall be substituted "regulation 7, Schedule 1 or Schedule 2"; and

(b) in paragraph 7(2)(c) for "M₁ and M₂" there shall be substituted "M₂ and M₃".
 

12th December 2000.

L.S.
 

W. B. Smith
Senior Officer of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
 
 

Item	PM/REF No.	CAS No.	Name	Restrictions and specifications
2A 7A	30080 30610	004180-12-5  -	Acetic acid, copper salt Acids C2-C24 aliphatic, linear monocarboxylic, from natural oils and fats and their mono-, di- and triglycerol esters (branched fatty acids at naturally occurring levels are included)	SML(T) = 30 mg/kg (7) (expressed as copper)
7B	30612	-	Acids C2-C24 aliphatic, linear, monocarboxylic, synthetic and their mono-, di- and triglycerol esters
9A	31530	123968-25-2	Acrylic acid, 2,4-di-tert-pentyl- 6-[1(3,5-di-tert-pentyl-2- hydroxyphenyl) ethyl] phenyl ester	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 5 mg/kg
12A	33801	-	n-Alkyl (C10-C13) benzenesulphonic acid	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 30 mg/kg
12B	34240	-	Alkyl(C10-C20) sulphonic acid, esters with phenols	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 6 mg/kg. Authorised only until 1st January 2002
27A	36640	000123-77-3	Azodicarbonamide	For use only as a blowing agent
31A	37360	000100-52-7	Benzaldehyde	(10)
36A	38320	005242-49-9	4-(2-Benzoxazolyl)-49-(5-methyl-2-benzoxazolyl) stilbene	In compliance with the specifications laid down in Schedule 2B
36B	38510	136504-96-6	1,2-Bis(3- aminopropyl)ethylenediamine, polymer with N-butyl-2,2,6,6- tetramethyl-4-piperidinamine and 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 5 mg/kg
36C	38515	001533-45-5	4,49-Bis(2-benzoxazolyl)stilbene	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 0.05 mg/kg (1)
36D	38810	080693-00-1	Bis(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4- methylphenyl) pentaerythritol diphosphite	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 5 mg/kg (sum of phosphite and phosphate)
36E	38879	135861-56-2	Bis(3,4- dimethylbenzylidene)sorbitol
37A	39200	006200-40-4	Bis (2-hydroxyethyl)-2- hydroxypropyl-3-(dodecyloxy) methylammonium chloride	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 1.8 mg/kg
37B	39815	182121-12-6	9,9 bis(methoxymethyl) fluorene	The quantity of this substance in the finished plastic material or article shall not exceed 0.05 mg/6 dm2
38A	40120	-	Bis(polyethyleneglycol) hydroxymethylphosphonate	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 0.6 mg/kg. Authorised only until 1st January 2002
44A	41680	000076-22-2	Camphor	(10)
47A	42320	007492-68-4	Carbonic acid, copper salt	SML(T) = 30 mg/kg (7) (expressed as copper)
57A	43515	-	Chlorides of choline esters of coconut oil fatty acids	The quantity of this substance in the finished plastic material or article shall not exceed 0.9 mg/6 dm2
59A	45195	007787-70-4	Copper bromide	SML(T) = 30 mg/kg (7) (expressed as copper)
59B	45200	001335-23-5	Copper iodide	SML(T) = 30 mg/kg (7) (expressed as copper) and the specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 1 mg/kg (expressed as iodine)
60A	45450	068610-51-5	p-Cresol-dicyclopentadiene isobutylene, copolymer	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 0.05 mg/kg (1)
72A	46880	065140-91-2	3,5-Di-tert-butyl-4- hydroxybenzyl phosphonic acid, monoethyl ester, calcium salt	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 6 mg/kg
73A	47680	000111-46-6	Diethyleneglycol	SML(T) = 30 mg/kg (3)
73B	48460	000075-37-6	1,1-Difluoroethane
73C	49485	134701-20-5	2,4-Dimethyl-6-(1- methylpentadecyl)phenol	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 1 mg/kg
75A	51700	147315-50-2	2-(4,6-Diphenyl-1,3,5-triazin- 2-yl)-5- (hexyloxy) phenol	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 0.05 mg/kg
86A	53610	054453-03-1	Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, copper salt	SML(T) = 30 mg/kg (7) (expressed as copper)
86B	53650	000107-21-1	Ethyleneglycol	SML(T) = 30 mg/kg (3)
90A	54300	118337-09-0	2,2-Ethylidenebis(4,6-di-tert- butyl-phenyl) fluorophosphonite	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 6 mg/kg
92A	54930	025359-91-5	Formaldehyde-1-naphthol, copolymer [=poly (1 hydroxynaphthyl-methane)]	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 0.05 mg/kg
125A	57800	018641-57-1	Glycerol tribehenate
140A	60480	003864-99-1	2-(2-Hydroxy-3,5-di-tert- butylphenyl)-5- chlorobenzotriazole	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 30 mg/kg
169A	66560	004066-02-8	2,2'-Methylenebis(4-methyl-6- cyclohexylphenol)	SML(T) = 3 mg/kg (6)
169B	66580	000077-62-3	2,2'-Methylenebis [4-methyl-6- (1-methylcyclo-hexyl) phenol]	SML(T) = 3 mg/kg (6)
172A	66755	002682-20-4	2-Methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one	The specific migration of this substance shall be not detectable (when measured by a method with a limit of detection of 0.02 mg/kg, analytical tolerance included)
173A	67170	-	Mixture of (80 to100% w/w) 5,7-di-tert-butyl-3-(3,4 dimethylphenyl)-2(3H)- benzofuranone and (0-20% w/w) 5,7-di-tert-butyl-3- (2,3-di-methylphenyl)-2(3H)- benzofuranone	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 5 mg/kg
173B	67180	-	Mixture of (50% w/w) phthalic acid n-decyl n-octyl ester, (25% w/w) phthalic acid di-n- decyl ester, and (25% w/w) phthalic acid di-n-octyl ester	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 5 mg/kg (1)
179A	68145	080410-33-9	2,2',2"-Nitrilo[triethyl tris(3,39,5,59-tetra-tert-butyl- 1-19-bi-phenyl-2,2'-diyl) phosphite]	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 5 mg/kg (sum of phosphite and phosphate)
188A	71635	025151-96-6	Pentaerythritol dioleate	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 0.05 mg/kg. Not for use with foods for which simulant D is laid down in Directive 85/572/EEC laying down the list of simulants to be used for testing migration of constituents of plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs[9]
191A	73720	000115-96-8	Phosphoric acid, trichloroethyl ester	The specific migration of this substance shall be not detectable (when measured by a method with a limit of detection of 0.02 mg/kg, analytical tolerance included)
191B	74010	145650-60-8	Phosphorous acid, bis(2,4-di- tert-butyl-6-methylphenyl) ethyl ester	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 5 mg/kg (covering the sum of phosphite and phosphate)
195A	76721	009016-00-6, 063148-62-9	Polydimethylsiloxane (mw >6800)	In compliance with the specifications laid down in Schedule 2B
195B	76865	-	Polyesters of 1,2-propanediol and/or 1,3- and/or 1,4- butanediol and/or polypropy- leneglycol with adipic acid, also end-capped with acetic acid or fatty acids C10-C18 or n-octanol and/or n-decanol	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 30 mg/kg
198A	77895	068439-49-6	Polyethyleneglycol (EO = 2-6) monoalkyl (C16-C18) ether	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 0.05 mg/kg
208A	81515	087189-25-1	Poly(zinc glycerolate)
210A	81760	-	Powders, flakes and fibres of brass, bronze, copper, stainless steel, tin and alloys of copper, tin and iron	SML(T) = 30 mg/kg (7) (expressed as copper); the specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 48 mg/kg (expressed as iron)
239A	85360	000109-43-3	Sebacic acid, dibutyl ester
240A	85610	-	Silicates, natural, silanated (with the exception of asbestos)
240B	85840	053320-86-8	Silicic acid, lithium magnesium sodium salt	SML(T) = 0.6 mg/kg (8) (expressed as lithium)
244A	86285	-	Silicon dioxide, silanated
259A	88640	008013-07-8	Soybean oil, epoxidized	In compliance with the specifications laid down in Schedule 2B
263A 263B	89200 89440	007617-31-4  -	Stearic acid, copper salt Stearic acid, esters with ethyleneglycol	SML(T) = 30 mg/kg (7) (expressed as copper) SML(T) = 30 mg/kg (3)
270A	92030	010124-44-4	Sulphuric acid, copper salt	SML(T) = 30 mg/kg (7) (expressed as copper)
276A	92700	078301-43-6	2,2,4,4-Tetramethyl-20- (2,3-epoxypropyl)-7-oxa-3,20- diazadispiro-[5.1.11.2]- heneicosan-21-one, polymer	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 5 mg/kg
276B	92930	120218-34-0	Thiodiethanolbis(5- methoxycarbonyl-2,6- dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyri- dine-3-carboxylate)	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 6 mg/kg
280A	94960	000077-99-6	1,1,1-Trimethylolpropane	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 6 mg/kg
281A	95725	110638-71-6	Vermiculite, reaction product with citric acid, lithium salt	SML(T) = 0.6 mg/kg (8) (expressed as lithium)
281B	95855	007732-18-5	Water	In compliance with Directive 98/83/EC
281C	95859	-	Waxes, refined, derived from petroleum based or synthetic hydrocarbon feedstocks	In compliance with the specifications laid down in Schedule 2B
281D	95883	-	White mineral oils, paraffinic, derived from petroleum based hydrocarbon feedstocks	In compliance with the specifications laid down in Schedule 2B

 

Item	PM/REF No.	CAS No.	Name	Restrictions and specifications
1	18888	80181-31-3	3-hydroxybutanoic acid-3- hydroxypentanoic acid, copolymer	The specific migration of this substance shall not exceed 0.05 mg/kg for crotonic acid (as impurity), and in compliance with the specifications laid down in Schedule 2B"

 
 

Item	PM/REF No.	Specifications
1	18888	3-HYDROXYBUTANOIC ACID-3-HYDROXYPENTANOIC ACID, COPOLYMER
		Definition	These copolymers are produced by the controlled fermentation of Alcaligenes eutrophus using mixtures of glucose and propanoic acid as carbon sources. The organism used has not been genetically engineered and has been derived from a single wild-type organism Alcaligenes eutrophus strain H16 NCIMB 10442. Master stocks of the organism are stored as freeze-dried ampoules. A submaster/working stock is prepared from the master stock and stored in liquid nitrogen and used to prepare inocula for the fermenter. Fermenter samples will be examined daily both microscopically and for any changes in colonial morphology on a variety of agars at different temperatures. The copolymers are isolated from heat treatment bacteria by controlled digestion of the other cellular components, washing and drying. These copolymers are normally offered as formulated, melt formed granules containing additives such as nucleating agents, plasticisers, fillers, stabilisers and pigments which all conform to the general and individual specifications.
		Chemical name	Poly (3-D-hydroxybutanoato-co-3-D-hydroxypentanoate).
		CAS number	80181-31-3.
		Structural formula	where n/(m+n) greater than 0 and less or equal to 0.25
		Average molecular weight	Not less than 150,000 Daltons (measured by gel permeation chromatography).
		Assay	Not less than 98% poly (3-D- hydroxybutanoato-co-3-D-hydroxypentanoate) analysed after hydrolysis as a mixture of 3-D-hydroxybutanoic and 3-D-hydroxypentanoic acids.
		Description	White to off-white powder after isolation.
		Characteristics
		Identification tests:     Solubility	Soluble in chlorinated hydrocarbons such as chloroform or dichloromethane but practically insoluble in ethanol, aliphatic alkanes and water.
		Migration	The migration of crotonic acid should not exceed 0.05 mg/kg food.
		Purity	Prior to granulation the raw material copolymer powder must contain:
		- Nitrogen	Not more than 2,500 mg/kg of plastic
		- Zinc	Not more than 100 mg/kg of plastic
		- Copper	Not more than 5 mg/kg of plastic
		- Lead	Not more than 2 mg/kg of plastic
		- Arsenic	Not more than 1 mg/kg of plastic
		- Chromium	Not more than 1 mg/kg of plastic
2	23547	POLYDIMETHYLSILOXANE (MW>6800) Minimum viscosity 100 centistokes at 25°C
3	25385	TRIALLYLAMINE 40 mg/kg hydrogel at a ratio of 1 kg food to a maximum of 1.5 grams of hydrogel. For use only in hydrogels intended for non-direct food contact use.
4	38320	4-(2-BENZOXAZOLYL)-4'-(5-METHYL-2-BENZOXAZOLYL) STILBENE Not more than 0.05% w/w (quantity of substance used/quantity of the formulation)
5	76721	POLYDIMETHYLSILOXANE (Mw>6800) Minimum viscosity 100 × 10-6 m2/s (=100 centistokes) at 25°C
6	88640	SOYBEAN OIL, EPOXIDIZED Oxirane <8%, iodine number <6
7	95859	WAXES, REFINED DERIVED FROM PETROLEUM BASED OR SYNTHETIC HYDROCARBON FEEDSTOCKS The product shall have the following specifications:      -  Content of mineral hydrocarbons with carbon number less than 25: not more than 5% (w/w)  -  Viscosity not less than 11 × 10-6 m2/s (=11 centistokes) at 100°C  -  Average molecular weight not less than 500
8	95883	WHITE MINERAL OILS, PARAFFINIC DERIVED FROM PETROLEUM BASED HYDROCARBON FEEDSTOCKS The product shall have the following specifications:      -  Content of mineral hydrocarbons with carbon number less than 25: not more than 5% (w/w)  -  Viscosity not less than 8.5 × 10-6 m2/s (=8.5 centistokes) at 100°C  -  Average molecular weight not less than 480 "

 

These Regulations amend the Plastic Materials and Articles in Contact with Food Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 ("the 1998 Regulations") in implementation of Commission Directive 1999/91/EC amending Directive 90/128/EEC relating to plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs.

The Regulations - 
 

(a) update the lists of monomers and additives which can be used in the manufacture of plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food (regulations 10 and 11 and Schedules 1 and 2);

(b) impose restrictions and specifications in respect of some of those monomers and additives (regulations 5(a), 6, 8, 10, 11 and 12 and Schedules 1, 2 and 4); in particular, a new type of restriction is introduced (maximum permitted quantity of the substance in the finished material or article expressed as mg per 6 dm² of the surface in contact with food);

(c) bring products obtained by bacterial fermentation within the scope of the 1998 Regulations and impose restrictions and specifications for such products (regulations 4, 5(b), 7 and 12 and Schedule 3);

(d) include a transitional provision (regulation 9); and

(e) make some consequential amendments (regulations 3 and 13(a)) and a drafting correction (regulation 5(a)), and correct two errors in the 1998 Regulations (regulations 10(d) and 13(b)).
 

[1] Formerly the Department of Health and Social Services; see S.I. 1999/283 (N.I. 1) Article 3back

[2] S.I. 1991/762 (N.I. 7) as amended by S.I. 1996/1633 (N.I. 12) and paragraphs 26 to 42 of Schedule 5 and Schedule 6 to the Food Standards Act 1999 c. 28back

[3] S.R. 1998 No. 264back

[4] O.J. No. L161, 12.3.96, p. 26back

[5] O.J. No. L310, 4.12.99, p. 41back

[6] O.J. No. L249, 4.10. 2000, p. 26back

[7] S.R. 1987 No. 432back

[8] O.J. No. L330, 5.12.1998, p. 32back

[9] O.J. No. L372, 31.12.85, p. 14back