Per a new agreement, Plastipak will purchase Avantium’s plant-based, recyclable polyethylene furanoate (PEF) polymer to manufacture beverage and food packaging for distribution in the U.S.

This article focuses on one of the three branches within the newly created U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Human Foods Program—the Office of Food Chemical Safety, Dietary Supplements, and Innovation—and its potential impact on food packaging.

Many food manufacturers are already benefiting from deploying x-ray inspection systems to carry out a wide range of quality control and compliance duties and these additional capabilities also should be factored into the equation when considering the cost of an x-ray inspection system. 

Recently signed into law, California Assembly Bill 660 standardizes the use of “Best if Used By” and “Use By” dates on food labels, and prohibits the use of “Sell By” and other, inconsistently used dates. 

U.S. Senators Edward Markey and Cory Booker recently wrote a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the agency to revoke its authorization for phthalates in food contact materials, arguing that the chemicals are proven to be toxic. 

The newly formed Northern California Nut Processing Group brings together four Duravant operating companies—Key Technology, WECO, PPM Technologies, and Multiscan—to deliver a complete portfolio of processing solutions for the California nut industry, as well as local sales and service support.

To understand the full extent of human exposure to all food contact chemicals, the Food Packaging Forum has created the FCChumon Database, which documents for the first time hundreds of chemicals found in humans, and which of those are hazardous or have unknown toxicity.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Jeannie Shaughnessy, CEO of the Peanut and Tree Nut Processors Association (PTNPA), about the PTNPA's work to help nut processors ensure food safety and quality, as well as current events affecting the nut industry.

A recent study explored how the use of uniform, threshold-based precautionary allergen labeling could increase food safety for allergic consumers, as well as enhance the number of foods available to them on the market. 

GEA recently introduced its patented CONTA dual block valve technology for spray dryers that is hygienically designed to reduce microbial risk in food and dairy processing.