Food Contact Materials
The Panel on Food Contact Materials (FCM)* evaluates the safety of chemical substances used in food packaging and within materials to be in contact with food (such as plastics, active and intelligent materials and other material types). The Panel also assesses the safety of processes to recycle plastic and its use in the production of food contact materials (FCMs). The Panel's work mainly concerns substances and processes evaluated by EFSA before their use can be authorised in the EU.
FCM Panel Members are scientists from across Europe with expertise in:
- Chemical risk assessment focusing on chemicals used in the production of plastic materials or other food packaging
- Toxicology (mammalian): sub-chronic and chronic toxicity (repeated dose studies), genotoxicity and mutagenicity, developmental and reproductive toxicity, carcinogenicity, allergenicity and immunotoxicity
- Toxicity testing in experimental animals and alternative toxicity tests
- Toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics (ADME - absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion) of substances
- Epidemiology (humans)
- Chemistry (organic, analytical and synthetic chemistry), especially for the chemical identification and specification of chemical substances and for migration testing of food contact materials
- Exposure assessment and consumption surveys
- Food technology (manufacturing processes and use of processing aids)
*The FCM Panel continues the work in some areas previously covered by the former Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP), but has handed over responsibility for the evaluation of enzymes to the FEZ Panel. In addition, depending on the specific expertise required for the substance(s) in question, the safety assessment of some processing aids will be allocated to the FCM Panel, while other processing aids will be assessed by the FEZ Panel.
Panel Members
Panel composition before 2018
2017-2018
Chair: Vittorio Silano
Vice-chair: Karl-Heinz Engel; Detlef Wölfle
Members: Claudia Bolognesi; Laurence Castle; Kevin Chipman; Jean-Pierre Cravedi; Paul Fowler; Roland Franz; Konrad Grob; Rainer Gürtler; Trine Husøy; Sirpa Kärenlampi; Wim Mennes; Maria Rosaria Milana; Karla Pfaff; Gilles Riviere; Jannavi Srinivasan; Maria de Fatima Tavares Poças; Christina Tlustos; Holger Zorn
2014-2017
Chair: Silano Vittorio
Vice-Chair: Mennes Wim; Wölfle Detlef
Members: Bolognesi Claudia; Castle Laurence; Cravedi Jean-Pierre; Engel Karl-Heinz; Fowler Paul; Franz Roland; Grob Konrad; Gürtler Rainer; Husøy Trine; Kärenlampi Sirpa, July 2015; Milana Maria Rosaria; Penninks André; Smith Andrew; Tavares Poças Maria De Fatima; Tlustos Christina; Toldrá Fidel, until September 2015; Zorn Holger; Zugravu Corina-Aurelia, July 2015
2011-2014
Chair: Mennes Wim, as of April 2014; Pratt Iona, until February 2014 †
Vice-Chair: Castle Laurence, as of April 2014; Wölfle Detlef
Members: Beckman Sundh Ulla; Binderup Mona-Lise; Bolognesi Claudia; Brimer Leon; Di Domenico Alessandro; Engel Karl-Heinz; Franz Roland; Gontard Nathalie; Guertler Rainer; Husoy Trine; Jany Klaus-Dieter; Kolf-Clauw Martine; Milana Maria Rosaria; Svensson Kettil; Tavares Pocas Maria de Fatima; Toldra Fidel
2008-2011
Chair: Klaus-Dieter Jany
Vice-Chair: Karl-Heinz Engel; Wim Mennes
Members: Arturo Anadon; David Bell, until end of November 2009; Mona-Lise Binderup; Wilfried Bursch; Laurence Castle; Riccardo Crebelli; Roland Franz; Nathalie Gontard; Thomas Haertle; Trine Husoy; Catherine Leclercq; Jean-Claude Lhuguenot; Maria Rosaria Milana; Karla Pfaff; Kettil Svensson; Fidel Toldra; Rosemary Waring; Detlef Woelfle
The Declarations of Interests and CVs of previous Panel members are available upon interestmanagement [at] efsa.europa.eu (request).
Plenary meetings
Meetings with Member States
Meetings with Member States bring together Panel experts, EFSA scientific staff and technical experts from Member States to discuss scientific issues and exchange views on various aspects of risk assessment related to food ingredients and packaging. Depending on the context, these meetings can be bilateral, involving experts from one Member State, or networking meetings, with experts from several Member States.
There follows a list of meetings between EFSA and Member States in the area of food ingredients and packaging.
2015
- Preparatory meeting of the WG isoflavones with BfR -30 June 2015
- EFSA-DTU Expert Meeting on Bisphenol A (BPA) - 19 June 2015
2014
- EFSA-ANSES Expert meeting on BPA - 3 December 2014
2012
- Bisphenol A: European and national experts share experiences of latest work - 29 October 2012
- Event report: Meeting with Member State Experts on Bisphenol A
2011
- Joint meeting report of EFSA and ANSES on bisphenol A - 7 November 2011
Networks
What are EFSA's networks?
EFSA’s networks consist of nationally appointed EU Member State organisations with expertise in the fields covered by the network. Representatives of the Commission and of other organisations (including those from outside the EU) with specific expertise may also be invited to participate in the work of EFSA Networks.
Networks are chaired by EFSA and supported by relevant EFSA units. Their aim is to facilitate scientific cooperation in the field of EFSA’s mission by:
- coordinating activities,
- exchanging information,
- developing and implementing joint projects,
- and exchanging expertise and best practices.
- Decision concerning the establishment and operation of European Networks of scientific organisations operating in the fields within the Authority’s mission(35.46 KB)
Scientific Network on Food Contact Materials (FCM)
The FCM Network is a platform for cooperation on risk assessment activities and approaches of mutual interest to EFSA and Member States. The Network enhances collaboration between scientists involved in risk assessment of food contact materials to support and harmonise risk assessment practices in this area. The FCM Network was initiated in October 2013 as a subgroup of the Food Ingredients and Packaging Network for a period of three years. To continue this cooperation, it was proposed to maintain the Network through a stand-alone FCM Network for a further three years.
- Terms of Reference last updated: 19 Aprile 2022
- List of members last updated: 20 Dicembre 2023