ScreenFood Webinar: PPWR & Food Safety: Navigating Compliance and Analysis – Part 1: The Road to 2026: General Requirements and a Deep Dive into PFAS

As part of our participation in the project “Metrology for Food Safety in the Circular Economy: Targeting and Screening Methods for Contaminants in Food and Recycled Packaging,” or “ScreenFood” for short, we are hosting a series of webinars in which we link the requirements of the PPWR with the project’s content:

Table of Contents

The Packaging Regulation (PPWR) is fundamentally transforming the European packaging industry, as it mandates compliance with various sustainability criteria within the next few years. As these changes are implemented, it is essential that packaging remains safe for contact with food. This webinar series, which is part of the 23IND13 ScreenFood project, highlights the requirements of the PPWR and links them to current metrological research, material-related high-risk potential, and in-depth knowledge of analytical methods for potential contaminants.

Webinar 1: The Road to 2026: General Requirements and an In-Depth Look at PFAS

The series begins with an overview of the PPWR, its background, and its requirements. The speakers will then address the pressing issue of substances of concern. In particular, the PFAS limits (scheduled to take effect in August 2026) will be discussed in light of ongoing research within the ScreenFood project. The following webinars will delve deeper into the other requirements of the PPWR that are most critical for food safety measurements.

Agenda (Moderator: Dr. Melanie Haupt, realcycle GmbH)

• Introduction to PPWR (Madleina Sandberg, realcycle GmbH)
  • Background and Objectives
  • Affected economic operators
  • PPWR requirements and guidelines with a focus on food packaging
• PPWR Article 5: Requirements for Substances (Madleina Sandberg, realcycle GmbH)
  • General requirements for substances of concern and limit values for heavy metals
  • PFAS restrictions for food contact packaging
• In-Depth Look at PFAS (Christopher McElroy, LGCGroup)
  • Current measurement capabilities and associated challenges
  • Ongoing method development
  • Discussion of the PPWR target values and the phased implementation approach proposed by the European Commission
  • Outlook on the work of the standards bodies

About the 23IND12 ScreenFood Project:

The goal of the ScreenFood project is to develop reference methods and reference materials for quantifying contaminants in both food and food packaging, with a particular focus on recycled materials. These analytical tools will help the industry ensure a supply of safe food and sustainable packaging while meeting regulatory requirements. The project addresses the need for the sound and safe use of food packaging materials and strengthens the confidence of end users and consumers.

All speakers are part of the ScreenFood project:

Christopher McElroy of LGCGroup leads research into the development and validation of methods for the screening and quantification of contaminants.

We coordinate the stakeholder committee and provide expert support in packaging optimization.