{"id":8421,"date":"2025-03-05T08:37:24","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T05:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/?p=8421"},"modified":"2025-06-12T12:25:43","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T09:25:43","slug":"regulation-eu-2025-351-stricter-measures-on-fcm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/regulation-eu-2025-351-stricter-measures-on-fcm\/","title":{"rendered":"Regulation (EU) 2025\/351: Stricter Measures on Food Contact Materials (FCMs)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The European Commission has introduced <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/eli\/reg\/2025\/351\/oj\/eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>Regulation (EU) 2025\/351<\/strong><\/a>, aimed at enhancing food safety through stricter controls on food contact materials (FCMs). This regulation amends existing frameworks on plastics, good manufacturing practices (GMPs), and recycling standards, ensuring consumer protection while promoting sustainability.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/regulation-eu-2025-351-stricter-measures-on-fcm\/#Clarification_of_Definitions\" >Clarification of Definitions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/regulation-eu-2025-351-stricter-measures-on-fcm\/#High_Purity_Standards_for_Plastics\" >High Purity Standards for Plastics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/regulation-eu-2025-351-stricter-measures-on-fcm\/#Safe_Reprocessing_of_Plastic_By-products\" >Safe Reprocessing of Plastic By-products<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/regulation-eu-2025-351-stricter-measures-on-fcm\/#Migration_Limits_in_Multi-Material_Articles_and_Transparency\" >Migration Limits in Multi-Material Articles and Transparency<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/regulation-eu-2025-351-stricter-measures-on-fcm\/#Biocidal_Products_and_Recycled_Plastics\" >Biocidal Products and Recycled Plastics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/regulation-eu-2025-351-stricter-measures-on-fcm\/#Consumer_Safety_and_Implementation_Timeline\" >Consumer Safety and Implementation Timeline<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/regulation-eu-2025-351-stricter-measures-on-fcm\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Clarification_of_Definitions\"><\/span><strong>Clarification of Definitions<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of the significant changes introduced by Regulation (EU) 2025\/351 is the <strong>clear distinction between additives and starting substances<\/strong>. This categorization helps streamline compliance and ensures the safety of materials used in food packaging. Additionally, the regulation defines <strong>reprocessing of plastic<\/strong> and <strong>UVCB substances<\/strong> (substances of unknown or variable composition), providing clarity to manufacturers and regulators.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"High_Purity_Standards_for_Plastics\"><\/span><strong>High Purity Standards for Plastics<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To ensure the safety of plastic materials in food contact applications, the regulation imposes <strong>strict purity requirements<\/strong>. It mandates that substances used in manufacturing must have a <strong>high degree of purity<\/strong>, with minimal non-intentionally added substances (NIAS). These measures reduce the risk of chemical migration into food and enhance overall food safety.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Safe_Reprocessing_of_Plastic_By-products\"><\/span><strong>Safe Reprocessing of Plastic By-products<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The regulation provides <strong>guidelines for the safe reprocessing of plastic by-products<\/strong>, encouraging the reuse of plastic waste without compromising food safety. Recycled plastic must meet stringent purity standards and undergo <strong>enhanced decontamination and traceability processes<\/strong> to maintain compliance.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Migration_Limits_in_Multi-Material_Articles_and_Transparency\"><\/span><strong>Migration Limits in Multi-Material Articles and Transparency<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To protect consumer health, the new regulation enforces <strong>strict migration limits on plastic layers in multi-material articles<\/strong>. These materials are now tested according to the plastic food contact materials regulation (EC) 10\/2011 and are considered as plastics, provided that the plastic layer is in direct contact with food.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-8436\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vecteezy_group-of-products-made-of-plastic-and-foam-in-garbage-bags_2781963-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"plastic containers for food - Regulation (EU) 2025\/351: Stricter Measures on Food Contact Materials (FCMs)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Biocidal_Products_and_Recycled_Plastics\"><\/span><strong>Biocidal Products and Recycled Plastics<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The regulation ensures that <strong>biocidal products incorporated into plastic materials<\/strong> are explicitly authorized for food contact use. This measure prevents potential health risks from antimicrobial agents used in packaging.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Recycled plastic materials must <strong>meet high purity standards<\/strong> and relevant regulations. Manufacturing scraps and off-cuts intended for reuse must adhere to strict <strong>Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)<\/strong>. These provisions support the EU\u2019s sustainability objectives while maintaining food safety.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Consumer_Safety_and_Implementation_Timeline\"><\/span><strong>Consumer Safety and Implementation Timeline<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To help consumers use food contact plastics safely, manufacturers are required to <strong>educate the public<\/strong> on proper handling, cleaning, and maintenance. Reusable plastic materials must come with <strong>clear instructions on preservation and warning labels<\/strong> to prevent misuse.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Regulation (EU) 2025\/351 will take effect on <strong>16 September 2026<\/strong>. Products already compliant with previous regulations may continue to be sold until stock depletion, but new materials must meet the updated standards by the implementation date.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Regulation (EU) 2025\/351 certainly aims to strengthen food contact material safety, sustainability, and transparency. By enhancing purity requirements, clarifying definitions, and ensuring the safe reuse of plastic materials, this regulation safeguards consumer health while promoting environmental responsibility. As industries adapt to these changes, compliance will be crucial to maintaining high safety and sustainability standards in food packaging.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If you need help regarding your packaging\u2019s compliance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/contact-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contact<\/a> our team of experts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The European Commission has introduced Regulation (EU) 2025\/351, aimed at enhancing food safety through stricter controls on food contact materials (FCMs). This regulation amends existing frameworks on plastics, good manufacturing practices (GMPs), and recycling standards, ensuring consumer protection while promoting sustainability. &nbsp; Clarification of Definitions One of the significant changes introduced by Regulation (EU) 2025\/351&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8436,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,545,540],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-packaging-legislation-en","category-regulations-policy-en","category-28","category-545","category-540","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8421"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8438,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8421\/revisions\/8438"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}