The revised second edition of the technical guide „Metals and alloys used in food contact materials and articles“ published by the Council of Europe represents a substantial update compared to the first edition from 2013. The technical guide is intended to harmonize requirements and enforcement activities for food contact materials made from metals and alloys at the European level.

The technical guide is available here.

The technical guide on metals and alloys includes the Resolution CM/Res(2020)9 of the Council of Europe on the safety and quality of materials and articles for contact with food. The technical guide further describes the chemical elements that constitute metallic food contact materials and articles or may be present as impurities and sets out the specific release limits (SRLs) for these elements, where appropriate. It also includes a chapter dedicated to release testing which provides up-to-date instructions for sampling, measuring of test specimens and calculating results.

The technical guide takes into account scientific opinions of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued since 2013, as well as relevant publications by national risk assessment bodies with regard to different metals. The review of safety data has resulted in changes of the SRLs for chromium, manganese and thallium. Moreover, a new section on zirconium has been added.