The Role of JRC and the EURL-FCM in support of legislation and standardization

Catherine Simoneau

Head of EURL-FCM

www.jrc.ec.europa.eu

Serving society

Stimulating innovation

Supporting legislation

Food contact safety: who does what?

Risk assessment:

• European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

Risk management:

• Commission DG Health and Consumer Protection (SANCO),

Enforcement:

• Member States

Food contact safety: who does what?

Monitoring and inspection:

• National Official Control Laboratories supported by National

Reference Laboratories

Scientific support:

• EC- DG Joint Research Centre (JRC) – all FCM policies

• European Union Reference Laboratory (JRC) - OFFC

� Regulation OFFC EC/882/2004 supported by Network of NRLs

The JRC in the European Commission

CommissionerMáire Geoghegan-Quinn

Research, Innovation & Science

PresidentJosé Manuel Barroso

27 Commission Members

DG Research & Innovation (RTD)Director-GeneralDominique Ristori

Joint Research Centre

418 November 2013

EC-Joint Research Centre

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

DIRECTORATESGENERAL

DIRECTORATESINSTITUTES

UNITS SCIENTIFIC UNITS

European Reference

Laboratories,

Centres & Bureaus

IRMM

ITU

IHCP

IES

IET

IPSC

IPTS ISM

HQ

JRC

518 November 2013

IRMM - Geel, Belgium

Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements

ITU - Karlsruhe, GermanyInstitute for Transuranium Elements

IET - Petten, The Netherlands and Ispra, ItalyInstitute for Energy and Transport

IPSC - Ispra, ItalyInstitute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen

IES - Ispra, ItalyInstitute for Environment and Sustainability

IHCP - Ispra, ItalyInstitute for Health and Consumer Protection

IPTS - Seville, SpainInstitute for Prospective Technological Studies

EC-JRC: 7 Institutes in 5 EU Member States

618 November 2013

As the Commission's in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre's mission is to provide EU policies with independent, evidence-based scientific and technical support throughout the whole policy cycle.

Working in close cooperation with policy Directorates-General, the JRC addresses key

societal challenges while stimulating innovation through developing new methods, tools and standards, and sharing its know-how with the Member States, the scientific community and international partners.

The Mission of the Joint Research Centre

718 November 2013

Areas of work

● Energy and transport

● Environment and climate change

● Safety of food and consumer products

● Crisis management

● Nuclear safety and security

● Health

JRC Impact for the EU citizen

818 November 2013

● EU policy makers

● European agencies

● European citizens

● European and International Standardisation Bodies

● Member States

● International Stakeholders

JRC: Scientific and technical support to

918 November 2013

JRC and EU Reference Laboratory

Risk management

(SANCO)

Official controls

Member State

Authorities and Enforcement Laboratories

As FCM activities 18 years Serving sectorial policies on release of substances from food contact materials

As EU Reference Laboratory

Methods, migration data, scientific support for FCM

legislation

Ad-hoc contributions to EFSA for exposure assessment

Work

Supporting Regulation 882/2004 on official food controls Member State

authorities and enforcement Laboratories (NRLs)

Work

Activities of JRC in food contact materials

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EU Reference Laboratory for Food Contact Materials

• Developing, harmonising, validating methods for the identification and quantification

of chemical contaminants from food contact materials

• Monitoring of substances released from packaging, kitchenware

• Research on interaction of foods and food contact materials

• Data on chemical occurrence and supporting exposure assessment

• Providing guidelines on testing for Member States and stakeholders

Impact

• Supporting EU legislation on food contact materials,

• Supporting EU legislation on official feed and food controls

• Supporting international harmonisation / standardisation (CEN, ISO)

• Supporting the European Food Safety Authority (e.g. exposure)

Mandate of the EURL-FCM (established in Reg. 882/2004)

Roles

• Providing analytical methods to official controls and stakeholders

• Coordination of EU National Reference Laboratories and its network

• Organisation of comparative testing (proficiency and/or validations)

• Training to National Reference Laboratories, third countries, FVO

• Scientific/technical advice to Commission

Impact

• Analytical controls are harmonised throughout Europe

• Standardised methods deliver robust analytical results

• Reduced number of analyses in EU Member States

• Better implementation of legal limits

• Technical guidelines provide hands-on understanding of Regulations

• Safe food and consumer products for European consumers

• Research published in peer reviewed and guidelines used worldwide

Article 32.1 of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 on official controls

– Providing analytical methods

– Comparative testing

– Training

– Scientific/technical advice to Commission

– Collaborating with third countries

Official control laboratories

NRL-FCM network

Reg. 882/2004, Art 32:

Member States shall arrange for the designation of one or more NRLs for each EURL referred to in Article 32. A Member State may designate a laboratory situated in another Member State or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Member and a single laboratory may be the NRL for more than one Member State.

For FCM:

•Malta has delegated to UK-NRL

•Switzerland is present as observer.

•France: SCL and LNE

Organisation of interlaboratory comparisons exercises

(EURL-FCM)

• Proficiency of laboratories and or of analytical methods(s)

• 18 exercises in 2008-2013 for official control laboratories

• representing 26 combinations of substances and matrices

• 15 reference materials produced

Trainings for third parties or NRLs (EURL-FCM)

• Luxembourg, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Turkey, DG

SANCO Food and Veterinary Office, Hong Kong Accreditation body

Activities of interlaboratory comparisons and training

Activities in support of FCM legislation Reg. 10/2011 on plastics food contact materials

Source of methods and reference calibrants/ materials• > 500 methods, >500 substances

Guidelines on technical implementation of legislation

• Sampling and test conditions for kitchenware

• Sampling and testing of polyamide and

melamine kitchen utensils subjected to

Regulation on imports 284/2011

• Method performance and quality criteria

Examples• Inks from paper and board – support to EFSA for development of opinion on exposure assessment, to official controls for methods

• Active and intelligent materials – anticipation and review• Baby bottles – EU survey on new materials• Modelling of migration processes - guide on applicability of models for compliance

• Release from import kitchenware articles• Development of test for non regulated areas: silicones, baking surfaces, functional ceramics

• Validation of method for new simulant for dry foods • Development of methods for mineral oils from paper and board

Activities in support of FCM legislation Reg. 1935/2004 on food contact materials

Activities in RTD

• Major partner 3 large FP projects : Recyclability, prediction of

migration into foods (foodmigrosure), exposure tools for

additives, flavourings and food contact (FACET).

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FACET: a new exposure tool

FP7 forefront RTD with the “FACET” project: a novel exposure tool for Flavourings, Additives and Food Contact Materials

FACET provides for the first time a validated software programme for deterministic and probabilistic modelling of food chemical intake

FACET is the new tool for exposure assessment of additives flavourings and food contact materials using validated models.

High stakeholder interest: presentations upon requests to EFSA, OECD, FDA, ECHA

test pilot FACET tool in the context of the BPA exposure assessment

JRC will organise “train the trainers” for stakeholders in 2013-2014 (industry, EFSA, COM, MS CA, etc)

New data on food consumption already being fed into EU Expofacts database.

The new project Glass and Ceramics

Scope – revision expansion of Dir EC/84/500

• Extent of metals

• Extent of articles (tableware, ceramics, glass, enamel specifics)

• Treatment of articles? (e.g. for ceramics, firing process or glazing?)

• Packaging

• rim

Testing

• Repeat use testing (3x)

• Simulant(s): acetic, citric

• t/T conditions

Analytical determination• AAS ICP-OES ICP-MS

CALL FOR SAMPLES

Website on migration testing (JRC)http://ihcp.jrc.ec.europa.eu/our_labs/eurl_food_c_m

Website on risk assessments (EFSA)http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/science/afc.html

Website on legislation (SANCO)

http://ec.europa.eu/comm/food/food/chemicalsafety/foodcontact/index_en.htm

Useful links

Council of Europe

http://www.coe.int/T/E/Social_Cohesion/soc-sp/Public_Health/Food_contact/

Thank youfor your attention