The Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union is working on a draft law on European requirements for Food Contact Materials

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The Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union is working on a draft law on European requirements for Food Contact Materials

Information Department of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Secretariat
Published on 19 January 2021, at 12:31

The Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union is working on a draft law No.4568 on European requirements for Food Contact Materials (FCMs).

The development of the bill is due to the need to reduce the risks of adverse effects on the health of consumers due to the use of materials and objects that directly or indirectly come into contact with food.

Currently in Ukraine, this issue is partially regulated by the Law “On Basic Principles and Requirements for Food Safety and Quality”. However, it contains only one article, which deals with the state registration of FCMs, and does not take into account a significant number of requirements contained in European legislation.

In line with its obligations under the Association Agreement with the European Union, Ukraine needs to harmonize its legislation with EU law, in particular with regard to measures on chemicals that migrate from packaging materials to foodstuffs. The draft law proposes to implement into national legislation the provisions of four EU regulations, namely: on Food Contact Materials, on recycled plastics and food contact products, on the proper manufacturing practice of materials intended to come into contact with food and on active and ‘intelligent’ food contact materials.

The bill provides for:

- application of terminology of EU legislation in Ukrainian legislation;

- determines the powers of executive bodies in the field of production, circulation and use of Food Contact Materials;

- establishes general and special requirements for FCMs;

- introduces requirements for recycled plastic materials;

-establishes the procedure for state registration of objects used in the production of FCMs;

- establishes features of the state registration of processes of processing of plastic;

- contains provisions on making changes, suspension and cancellation of the decision on state registration of objects;

- sets requirements for labeling, declaration of conformity and requirements for traceability of FCMs;

- contains provisions on good manufacturing practice (GMP) in the production of FCMs and provisions on state control and responsibility of market operators.

The provisions of the draft Law do not apply to items and materials supplied as antiques, protective materials or skin, in particular, materials covering cheese crust, semi-finished meat products or fruit which are part of the food product and may be consumed with it, stationary equipment for centralized or decentralized water supply, as well as non-food products, organizational and legal principles of circulation of which are defined by the Law “On General Safety of Non-Food Products”.

The Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union will announce its opinion on the compliance of the draft law with EU law at a forthcoming meeting.