Services offered:
Services provided by the Consultancy include the following. Please contact us for more information or a quotation. Migration studies are undertaken in collaboration with ISO17025 certified laboratories.
- Full testing and certification of plastic based materials to Commission Regulation No.10, 2011 and its predecessor 2002/72/EC.
- Advice on the regulatory status of materials (plastics, rubber, surface coatings, lacquers etc.) according to EU, FDA, BfR and other national regulatory systems.
- Preparation of "Declaration of Compliance Statements" for customers and "Supporting Documents" for possible inspection by competent authorities.
- Assistance with European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) petitions and US FDA food contact material notifications (FCNs), including preparation of study plans, migration studies, project management and submission of data to regulatory authorities.
- Mathematical modelling of migration, including printing "set-off" and provision where appropriate of compliance certification.
- Guidance/interpretation of the European Framework Regulation on Food Contact Materials (EC) Number 1935/2004 with respect to all material types including plastics, thermoplastic elastomers, rubber components, coatings, inks and recycled materials.
- Advice on how to comply with the Good Manufacturing Practice requirements of Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 as detailed in Regulation (EC) Number 2023/2006.
- Assistance with the EU Regulation on Active and Intelligent Packaging EC No 450/2009, including submission of data to EFSA for regulatory approval.
- Company specific training courses on the legislative and testing requirements for food contact materials.
Experience with Food Contact Materials
Whilst previously working for Smithers Rapra & Rapra Technology, the consultancy principal, John Sidwell, led various research projects undertaken for the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and WRAP (Waste Resources Action Programme) including;
Development of multi-methods for determining additive migration from food contact plastic materials (in collaboration with TNO, The Netherlands). Migration of species from polyurethane laminating adhesives from flexible packaging. Migrating species from food contact elastomers. Breakdown products of food contact rubber curatives. Examination of migratory species from ion-exchange resins. Migration from inks and coatings. Recycling of food-contact HDPE (in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute, Germany and others
He is also a member of CEN Technical Committee TC194/SC1 and its sub-groups developing analytical methods for migration testing and also the UK BSI committee CW/47/1 -Migration from Plastics.
Future Presentations
"Regulatory aspects and use of Thermoplastic Elastomers in contact with food" John Sidwell - The 14th International Conference on Thermoplastic Elastomers, 8-9th November 2011, Brussels, Belgium, Smithers Rapra. Click on link below to view the conference programme.
Thermoplastic Elastomers 2011 Conference.pdf
Recent Publications
Recent publications by John Sidwell on Food Contact and related materials include:
Journal Papers / Conferences
"Using mathematical modelling to predict migration from food contact materials" FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS SEMINAR, Campden BRI, 30th September 2010
"Additive selection in food contact and medical materials" ADDCON, 20-21 October 2009, Cologne, Germany, iSmithers, Paper 11, 1-14
"Elastomeric materials in contact with food -Legislation and testing", FOOD CONTACT POLYMERS 2009, 21-22 April 2009, Brussels, iSmithers, Paper 7,1-10
"The potential nature of migrants associated with different food contact materials", FOOD CONTACT POLYMERS 2007, 21-22 February 2007, Brussels, Rapra Technology, Paper 5, 1-14.
"Examination of styrene-divinylbenzene ion-exchange resins, used in contact with food, for potential migrants", FOOD ADDITIVES AND CONTAMINANTS, 2006, 23(7) 726-738
"Legislation and testing of food contact plastics -an update with respect to additives", ADDCON 2006, 17-18 October 2006, Cologne, Rapra Technology, Paper 2, 1-14
Books
"Chemical migration from multi-layer packaging into food" (Chapter 16) in Chemical migration from food contact materials. 2006, Watson D. et al. editors, Woodhead Publishing
Standard Methods
Details on the standard methods used for the testing of overall migration from Plastics (EN1186 parts 1-15) and monomer migration (EN13130) are provided for information in the links below (open in new windows).
EN 1186 Materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs - Plastics - Methods for overall migration