EU updates standards for food contact papers

The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) has recently published several updates to its standards related to the quality of contact paper and boards that come in contact with food and food products.

The revised standards include:

• EN 646:2018, “Paper and Board Intended to Come into Contact with Foodstuffs — Determination of Dyed Paper and Board” — This standard replaces the 2006 version of the standard, and incorporates a number of changes including an expanded definition of food contact paper. 
• EN 648:2018, “Paper and Board Intended to Come into Contact with Foodstuffs — Determination of the Fastness of Fluorescent Whitened Paper and Board,” — This standard replaces the 2006 version of the standard, and also incorporates a revised and expanded scope for the definition of food contact paper. It also includes a new definition for unstained glass fibre paper and expands from two to four the number of test conditions procedures. 
• EN 1104:2018, “Paper and Board Intended to Come into Contact with Foodstuffs — Determination of the Transfer of Antimicrobial Constituents” — This standard replaces the 2005 version of the standard, and redefines the “inhibition zone” described in the standard, and makes other changes to the number of required pieces for specific tests. 

In the case of each of these revised standards, conflicting national standards must be withdrawn by not later than May 2019.