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Background and implementation -- References -- Questions in the reporting form -- Testresults from analysis of phthalates -- Nordic enforcement projects -- Critical parameters to control and consequences of the implemented rules in July 2008 -- Summary -- Results and discussion -- Conclusion.

Denmark, Finland, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway and Sweden have in 2013–2015 conducted a Nordic project on food contact materials. Food contact materials are used in all stages of food production and can be a general source of contamination. The food safety authorities in most of the Nordic countries have had a limited focus on the FCM area with the exception of Denmark and Finland. The aim of the project was therefore to control establishments producing, importing or using plastic food contact materials as well as to increase the knowledge of the inspectors performing these controls. The focus of the inspections was to control the declaration of compliance (DoC) for plastic food contact materials. The requirement for a Doc is mandatory in order to ensure that the FCM complies with the legislation. In addition some products were analyzed for phthalates.

Metals and alloys are widely applied as food contact materials, e.g. as process equipment in the food industry and as household utensils. Therefore, they are a potential source of food contamination. Migration of substances from food contact materials to food must not occur in amounts that endanger human health. Relevant for food contact materials made from metals and alloys are the migration (release) of metals, both the main components and foreseen impurities. In-house control based on a declaration of compliance, DoC, and supporting documentation at the producers and importers are important prerequisites to limit this contamination and to ensure compliance with the legislation. This is considered a general part of quality assurance, even though the European legislation does not specifically require a DoC for metals and alloys used as food contact materials. This Nordic guideline gives a short overview of toxicology, analytical feasibility, legislation and guideline values for release of metals from food contact materials. Therefore, the guideline will be a useful tool for industry and official food inspectors.

Documentation of compliance with the legislation is a corner stone in the control of food contact materials (FCM). In-house control is an important pre-requisite to limit contamination from FCM and shall be based on the declaration of compliance and supporting documentation at the responsible business operators in the supply chain. The goal of this project was to develop a Nordic checklist on documentation of compliance for FCM. The Nordic checklist contains several templates. The different templates provide check points on the minimum requirements for a declaration of compliance for all types of materials. The templates are meant to be used by industry and trade as guidance for drafting a declaration of compliance. Furthermore, the check lists are also meant to be tools for the public food and FCM inspection.