Chemical Migration and Food Contact Materials

Food and beverages can be very aggressive chemical milieu and may interact strongly with materials that they touch. Whenever food is placed in contact with another substance, there is a risk that chemicals from the contact material may migrate into the food. These chemicals may be harmful if ingested in large quantities, or impart a taint or odour to the food, negatively affecting food quality. Food packaging is the most obvious example of a food contact material. As the demand for pre-packaged foods increases, so might the potential risk to consumers from the release of chemicals into the food product. Chemical migration and food contact materials reviews the latest controls and research in this field and how they can be used to ensure that food is safe to eat.

Part one discusses the regulation and quality control of chemical migration into food. Part two reviews the latest developments in areas such as exposure estimation and analysis of food contact materials. The final part contains specific chapters on major food contact materials and packaging types, such as recycled plastics, metals, paper and board, multi-layer packaging and intelligent packaging.

With its distinguished editors and international team of authors, Chemical migration and food contact materials is an essential reference for scientists and professionals in food packaging manufacture and food processing, as well as all those concerned with assessing the safety of food.