,"The Consumer Affairs Agency of Japan has issued a notification (消食基第601号, dated October 7, 2025) announcing partial amendments to the monomers and substances permitted in the “Positive List” for food-contact materials, as defined in the Standards for Foods, Additives, etc. (Showa 34, Notification No. 370). This revision responds to industry requests and modifies the permitted components used in polymer-based base materials listed in Table 1 of the standards.
Key changes include updates to acrylic-based polymer materials (Annex 16), such as:
Addition of Acrylic Acid Stearyl as a new essential monomer.
Clarification and inclusion of Metallil Sulfonic Acid Sodium Salt.
Revision of permissible optional substances, maintaining molecular weight restrictions below 1000 (except specified ethylene glycol polymers).
Adjustment of conditions for specific monomers like Methacrylic Acid 2-[3-(2H-Benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-hydroxyphenyl]ethyl, now limited to use only when part of specified polymer entries (No. 108(1) and 108(2)).
These amendments take immediate effect and authorities are instructed to disseminate this update to relevant businesses to ensure compliance in the production of food utensils, containers, and packaging."
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