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Belgium has established requirements for food contact metals and alloys. These became effective on March 15, 2021.
Belgium has established requirements for food contact metals and alloys. These became effective on March 15, 2021.
On March 15, 2021, the Belgian Federal Public Service (FPS) Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment published Royal Decree of February 17, 2021 (2021/40623 in French and Dutch) to regulate food contact metals and alloys.
The new law contains, inter alia, several important provisions. It:
The Royal Decree does not specify an effective date. This can be considered as March 15, 2021 – the date of its publication in the nation’s official journal.
Highlights of the specific release limits (SRLs) for 1) metal and alloy components as well as 2) metals as contaminants and impurities in the new Royal Decree are summarized in Tables 1 and 2.
| Royal Decree of February 17, 2021 on Metal and Alloy Materials and Articles Intended to Come into Contact with Food | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Item | Name | Symbol | SRL (mg/kg food) | Item | Name | Symbol | SRL (mg/kg food) | |
| 1 | Aluminum | Al | 5.0 | 9 | Molybdenum | Mo | 0.12 | |
| 2 | Antimony | Sb | 0.04 | 10 | Nickel | Ni | 0.14 | |
| 3 | Chromium | Cr | 0.25 | 11 | Silver | Ag | 0.08 | |
| 4 | Cobalt | Co | 0.02 | 12 | Tin | Sn1 | 100 | |
| 5 | Copper | Cu | 4.0 | 13 | Titanium | Ti | --- | |
| 6 | Iron | Fe | 40 | 14 | Vanadium | V | 0.01 | |
| 7 | Magnesium | Mg | --- | 15 | Zinc | Zn | 5.0 | |
| 8 | Manganese | Mn | 1.8 | |||||
| 1Except in the field of application under Regulation (EC) 1881/2006 | ||||||||
Table 1. SRLs for metal and alloy components
| Royal Decree of February 17, 2021 on Metal and Alloy Materials and Articles Intended to Come into Contact with Food | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Item | Name | Symbol | SRL (mg/kg food) | Item | Name | Symbol | SRL (mg/kg food) | |
| 1 | Arsenic | As | 0.002 | 5 | Lead | Pb | 0.01 | |
| 2 | Barium | Ba | 1.2 | 6 | Lithium | Li | 0.048 | |
| 3 | Beryllium | Be | 0.01 | 7 | Mercury | Hg | 0.003 | |
| 4 | Cadmium | Cd | 0.005 | 8 | Thallium | Tl | 0.0001 | |
Table 2. SRLs for metals as contaminants and impurities
SGS technical experts have extensive knowledge and testing experience in materials and articles in contact with food. They work to ensure that your products meet the appropriate regulations for food contact materials, paving the way for compliance. From overall migration tests to expert advice on emerging regulations, compliance issues and documentation review, SGS is the partner to trust. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested.
For enquiries, please contact:
Hingwo Tsang
Global Information and Innovation Manager
t: (+852) 2774 7420
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