EU Adds Four Substances to Plastic Food Rules
Regulation (EU) 2026/2412 amends Annex I of Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, with some uses barred from infant formula and human milk packaging.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Chemistry
The European Commission adopted Regulation (EU) 2026/2412 on October 28, 2026, adding four substances to the positive list governing plastic food contact materials. Some of the added substances are prohibited from use in food contact materials intended for infant formula and human milk.
Why it matters
The positive list defines which substances manufacturers may intentionally use when making plastic food packaging, so additions expand the materials available to producers. The restrictions on infant-related uses reflect the specific safety conditions attached to each authorization.
Authorizations are conditional, with the PEEK carbon fiber use capped at 40% w/w and the PLA additive capped at 15% w/w under 40°C contact for up to 10 days. The four substances are not yet listed in the Food Packaging Forum's FCCdb, which covers over 12,000 chemicals.
The players
European Commission
The executive body of the European Union that proposes legislation and adopted the amendment to the plastic food contact materials positive list.
European Food Safety Authority
The EU agency responsible for scientific risk assessment of food and food-contact materials, whose safety assessments supported each addition.
Food Packaging Forum
A Swiss-based independent research organization that maintains the FCCdb database of chemicals used in food packaging.
The details
Each substance is authorized only for specified uses, concentrations and food-contact conditions. Uncoated nano precipitated calcium carbonate is barred from infant formula packaging, and a 1,9-nonanediamine and 2-methyl-1,8-octanediamine mixture used with terephthalic acid to make polyamide is barred from infant formula and human milk packaging.
Timeline
January 12, 2022: EFSA published its safety assessment of chopped carbon fibres.
February 23, 2022: EFSA published its safety assessment of nano precipitated calcium carbonate.
July 19, 2023: EFSA published its safety assessment of poly(2-hydroxypropanoic acid) esters.
April 24, 2024: EFSA published its safety assessment of the nonanediamine mixture.
October 28, 2026: The Commission adopted Regulation (EU) 2026/2412 adding the four substances.
Roadmap
The regulation extends Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, which has governed the EU's positive list of substances for plastic food contact materials since its adoption. It updates that list with substances that EFSA assessed between 2022 and 2024, adding them to the authorized set.
Manufacturers in the EU can now use the four added substances within the specified limits, which may affect the composition of plastic food packaging. Packaging for infant formula and human milk remains restricted for the substances flagged as prohibited in those applications.
The takeaway
The addition of substances to the EU positive list shows how safety assessments translate into conditional authorizations rather than blanket approvals. Anyone concerned about food packaging can check whether a given material's use conditions match the restrictions for its intended food.
Further reading
For related coverage, explore the Chemistry section for more on how regulators assess substances used in everyday materials.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Food Packaging Forum.
