There are a variety of tests that can be performed to check the food safety of materials and these are standardised in legislation from different countries.

Applications can be very demanding. Food processing temperatures can reach 200 deg C and contact times can extend to years in the case of can coatings. Chemically, foods vary extensively and food contact materials must withstand oil- and water-based foods for varying periods of time and temperature. Some materials must be microwaveable for instant meals. Others must protect food from impact and preserve fresh contents, with particular barrier properties required. On top of all this, packaging must look good and have consumer appeal.

Everyone wants to be environmentally-friendly and this has led to new materials entering the food packaging market. These biodegradable and recycled grades of plastic must meet the same standards as conventional plastics. Appropriate additives should be selected to keep the ‘green’ credentials of the material.

The key issue is that food is fit for consumption on delivery to the consumer.

This first international conference brought together the food processing supply chain to learn about new materials for manufacturing processes and packaging, material selection, testing, and issues facing the industry such as legislation.

Paper 1 Keynote Paper: Status of the Council of Europe resolutions and future programmes
Dr Luigi Rossi, Keller & Heckman LLP, Belgium

Paper 2 The principle of mutual recognition
Cyril Jacquet, Keller & Heckman LLP, Belgium

Paper 3 The code of practice for coatings in contact with food
Dr Peter Oldring, Valspar Europe, UK

Paper 4 Multilayer pipes for drinking water distribution in buildings as an example of how to deal with European harmonisation, national standards and market demands
Dr. Roland Widler, Geberit International AG, Switzerland

SESSION 2: MIGRATION RESEARCH

Paper 5 The potential nature of migrants associated with different food contact materials
John Sidwell, Rapra Technology, UK

Paper 6 Modelling migration from plastics into foodstuffs – a novel and cost efficient approach for compliance evaluation and consumer exposure elimination
Dr Angela Störmer, Fraunhofer Institut Lebensmitteltechnologie und Verpackung IVV, Germany

Paper 7 Analytical strategy to assess the safety of food contact materials
W.D. van Dongen, B. Muilwijk, R. Bas, L. Coulier and L. van Stee, TNO Quality of Life, The Netherlands

Paper 8 Determination of plasticisers and additives in PVC gasket seals and in fatty sauces
C. Simoneau, Z. Ežerskis and V. Morkunas, European Commision DG Joint Research Centre, Italy

SESSION 3: FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS

Paper 9 The use of poly (vinyl chloride) polymers in food contact and related applications
Dr Chris Howick, Ineos Vinyls, UK

Paper 10 Silicone elastomers for food contact applications
Egbert Klaassen ,GE Bayer Silicones GmbH, Germany

Paper 11 Adhesives for food contact materials: trends and latest developments
Dr Hermann Onusseit, Henkel KGaA, Germany

SESSION 4: SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND RECYCLING OF FOOD PACKAGING

Paper 12 Sustainable solutions for food contact polymers in packaging
Dr Karlheinz Hausmann, DuPont de Nemours Inc SA, Switzerland

Paper 13 The super cleaning and recycling of HDPE and PET bottles
Manfred Hackl, EREMA Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen Ges.m.b.H., Austria

Paper 14 Complete risk assessment of recycled PET used to manufacture materials in contact with food
Dr Alexandre Feigenbaum, Eric Barthélémy, Patrice Dole and Laurent Safa, INRA UMR FARE, France

SESSION 5: BIODEGRADABLE FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS

Paper 15 Developments in food contact biopolymers
Stefano Facco, Novamont, Italy

Paper 16 Testing of biodegradable materials
Bruno de Wilde, Organic Waste Systems, Belgium

SESSION 6: INNOVATIONS IN FOOD PACKAGING

Paper 17 Legislation on active and intelligent packaging
Dr E.K. Zondervan-van den Beuken, TNO, Food Contact Materials, The Netherlands

Paper 18 Antimicrobial materials for plastics in contact with food
Alan Campbell, Camden & Chorleywood Food Research Association, UK

Paper 19 Novel nanocomposites to enhance quality and safety of packaged foods
Dr J.M. Lagaron, IATA-CSIC, Spain

Paper 20 How to select a plasticizer for sensitive applications?
Dr Rainer Otter, BASF, Germany

Paper 21 Improving food protection by the addition of natural antioxidant compounds into food contacting polymers
Dr. Rafael Gavara, IATA-CSIC, Spain