On August 1, 2024, the European Medicines Agency released the new version of the āTechnical Guide on Metals and Alloys Used in Food Contact Materials and Articlesā (EDQM), replacing the old version CM/Res (2013) 9. This guide has been widely recognized and is considered a reference standard for the safety and quality of metal materials and products.
The new technical guide supplements the European Commissionās Resolution CM/Res (2020) 9 on the safety and quality of materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, aiming to ensure the safety and quality of food contact materials and articles made of metals and alloys. The guide describes in detail the chemical elements that may be present as impurities in metal food contact products and sets specific release limits (SRL) for these elements.
This revision is based on Resolution CM/Res (2020)9 and takes into account the scientific opinions issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) since 2013 and the research results of relevant national risk assessment agencies (such as BfR, ANSES). The main updates include:
1. Updated element release limits (SRL)
| Substance Name | Previous Limit (SRL) mg/kg | New Limit (SRL) mg/kg |
| Chromium | 0.250 | 1 |
| Manganese | 1.8 | 0.55 |
| Thallium | 0.0001 | 0.001 |
| Zirconium | / | 2 |
2. Updated test conditions referring to the JRC guidelines, aligning with the āTest Conditions for Kitchen Utensils in Contact with Food: Plastics, Metals, Silicone and Rubbers, Paper&Boardā 4th edition 2023.
3. Removed the declaration of conformity section from the first edition to comply with the guidelines specified in Section 8.2 of Resolution CM/Res(2020)9.
4. Clarified the requirements for determining disposable metal and alloy products: the first migration amount ā¤ SRL.
Resourceļ¼https://freepub.edqm.eu/publications/PUBSD-128/detail?_refluxos=a10
