Japan CAA Updates Positive List for Food-Contact Polymers under Notice No. 601   

 On October 7, 2025, Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) issued Notice No. 601, announcing a partial amendment to the notification titled “On Monomers Constituting the Base Polymers Specified in Table 1 of Appendix 1 of the Standards for Foods, Additives, etc.” (initially issued as Health and Food Standards Notification No. 1130 of November 30, 2023). The revision, based on industry requests, updates the list of permitted monomers for base polymers under the Positive List System for food-contact utensils, containers, and packaging. Key changes include the addition of stearyl acrylate as a mandatory monomer, the clarification that sodium salt of methallylsulfonic acid is included, and the introduction of use restrictions for 2-[3-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-hydroxyphenyl]ethyl methacrylate, limiting it to specific polymer types (Table 2 Nos. 108(1) and 108(2)). The amended provisions take immediate effect from the issuance date.