Food Toxicology 2(2+0)

Lesson 28 : Food packaging material – potential contaminants from food packaging material

Why the concern over migration?

Some of the additives used in plastics are more likely to migrate than others. The main concern in the past has been in connection with plasticizers which are used to improve the flexibility of some packaging materials. They are used in a range of plastics but particularly in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) films. Since it was recognized that in many PVC food contact situations these plasticizers would migrate, the plastics industry has moved to reformulate various grades of "cling" films to reduce the likelihood of plasticizer migration. There is no evidence that concentrations of plasticizer found thus far in food constitute a risk to human health, but unnecessary exposure to such contaminants must be avoided.