PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF TESTING FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS FOR MIGRATION

Progress in three areas has provided analytical methods and understand ing to assist in migration testing for compliance with European Commun ity Directives on food contact materials. A simple migration test has been developed to indicate whether or not a food makes fatty contact w ith plastics. This test is then used to guide the initial choice of ap propriate food simulants. The Karl Fischer technique for water determi nation has been used to eliminate the need to humidity condition plast ics in overall migration testing. This results in more rapid and more reliable Migration testing. Finally, the stability of 'positive-list' monomers and other starting substances has been examined in food simul ants. This identifies those substances which, for reasons of reactivit y, may not be expected to survive a migration test and for which, ther efore, migration testing as such is inappropriate.