The Dairy Reporter discusses proposed food additive labeling amendments in EFSA issues food additive info ahead of Codex:

Europe’s food safety authority has issued information on current food additive laws ahead of the upcoming Codex meeting in China.

The 39th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA), which will meet in Beijing from 24 to 28 April, will discuss proposed amendments made at the last meeting and tackle current issues within the sector.

CCFA was established to set or endorse maximum levels for individual food additives, prepare priority lists of food additives for risk assessment and assign functional classes to individual food additives.

Other aims include recommending specifications of identity and purity for food additives for adoption by the Commission; considering methods of analysis for the determination of additives in food; and considering and elaborating standards or codes for related subjects such as the labeling of food additives when sold as such.

See the full article for more information.

The magazine The Manufacturer has a terrific article on REACH, which we will be recommending to all of our clients. For the full article see: Impact of REACH on US exporters of manufactured goods to the EU. Here is a snippet:

With trepidation from industry a new chemical regulation in the European Union (EU) called REACH (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006) was published late in 2006. The Regulation which comes into force on 01 June 2007 will have a major impact on chemical and associated industries worldwide which manufacture and/or import chemicals, preparations and articles to the EU.

Before REACH the EU legislative framework for chemicals was fragmented with different rules for new and existing chemical substances and the requirements were generally considered by government to be inadequate for protecting human and environmental health. REACH brings together all existing EU legislation and is arguably the most comprehensive and far-reaching system of chemical regulation worldwide.

The article goes on to explain that:

For those substances falling within the scope of REACH the first administrative action for industry will be to pre-register their substances. This will takes place in a six month window starting 12 months after entry into force (June to December 2008). The subsequent registration procedure requiring submission of data and dossiers (with risk assessments) are to be carried out over a period of 11 years. The first deadline is for substances imported or manufactured at tonnages above 1000 tonnes per annum or substances already classified as dangerous over 100 tonnes per annum. Subsequent deadlines in 2013 and 2018 are for lower tonnage substances (above 100 and 1 tonne, respectively).

We have been receiving quite a few worried phone calls and e-mails about REACH this year. To learn more about how REACH will impact your company and how you can develop a plan of action to achieve REACH compliancy, please call or e-mail Nexreg at:

Nexreg Canada: (519)488-5126 (London, ON)
Nexreg UK: +44 020 7993 5893 (London, UK)
Nexreg USA: (206)418-6663 (Seattle, WA)
E-mail:info@nexreg.com

Here’s a snippet from NDP seeking new law for toxic chemical labels on household products from today’s London Free Press (in London, Ontario, Canada where Nexreg is headquartered):

Toxic chemicals are in many everyday products, from household cleaners and laundry detergents to hair dyes and cosmetics, said NDP environment critic Peter Tabuns, who is pushing for a new law that would compel manufacturers to disclose dangerous ingredients in their products.

Consumers would demand changes if labels told them exactly what a product contains, Tabuns said.

“Right now, most people don’t know whether or not products that they buy have cancer-causing agents in them.”

Tabuns hopes to convince Ontario to follow the example of California, where community right-to-know legislation has helped get arsenic out of bottled water and lead removed from some candies. Manufacturers there opted to find alternatives rather than list carcinogens on their labels, he said.

“They are not going to want to have that label on their products. They know that consumers, especially parents, don’t want to subject themselves to exposure.”

We suspect this proposal is not going anywhere – the Liberal Party holds a majority in the Ontario legislature with 69 of 103 seats. The NDP, who are proposing this bill, are the third place party with only 10 seats (the Progressive Conservative Party holds the remaining 24). However, we will be following this proposal very closely since most consumer chemical companies operating in North America sell in the Ontario market of nearly 13 million people.

Plenty Magazine has more on the proposed Washington Safe Cosmetics Act of 2007 with Baby Steps Toward Beauty Product Safety Regulation. Here’s a snippet:

[T]he freshly minted Washington Safe Cosmetics Act of 2007 had its first public hearing by the House Committee on the Select Committee on Environmental Health. Rep. Maralyn Chase is lead sponsor of the proposed law, House Bill number 2166.

According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer, HB2166 would require cosmetics manufacturers to disclose to the state Department of Health all ingredients known or suspected to cause cancer or reproductive damage. It would also allow the health department to investigate products, and to require manufacturers to provide data on health effects of the chemicals they use. Lastly, HB2166 would allow state or federal agencies to actively protect consumers and workers when toxic chemicals are found in products, or to:

“Take steps to protect consumers and workers—including women working with artificial nail chemicals, many of whom are immigrants and may have difficulty understanding the risks because of language barriers.”

If passed, HB 2166 won’t go into effect until January 1, 2009, so until then, do your homework. Read ingredient labels, and visit sites like the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database to learn more.

Although January 1, 2009 is almost 2 years away, we are recommending to our cosmetic company clients that they follow these developments closely. Nexreg is working with companies to develop a plan of action to deal with these and other proposed regulations. To speak to a Nexreg representative please call or e-mail Nexreg at:

Nexreg Canada: (519)488-5126 (London, ON)
Nexreg UK: +44 020 7993 5893 (London, UK)
Nexreg USA: (206)418-6663 (Seattle, WA)
E-mail:info@nexreg.com

Position: Canadian Regulatory Consultant

Nexreg Canada is rapidly expanding and is looking to add experienced members to our Canadian team in London, Ontario, Canada. Our ideal candidate is an experienced, personable, highly motivated individual that is looking to advance their career in the regulatory compliance industry.

Location: London, ON.

Salary: Negotiable, based on level of experience, credentials, and salary history.

Primary Duties:

• Authoring Canadian and/or Canadian/U.S. compliant MSDSs using Nexreg’s proprietary MSDS authoring system.
• Authoring Canadian compliant product labels for the industrial, consumer chemical, and cosmetics markets.
• Assisting with government registrations, such as DINs and PCPs.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 2 years of regulatory compliance industry experience.
• Bachelor degree in a science related field.
• Knowledge of Canadian regulations such as WHMIS, CCCR, and cosmetics regulations.
• Experience authoring Canadian compliant MSDSs and/or Canadian compliant industrial, consumer chemical, or cosmetics labels.
• Knowledge of U.S., Mexican, and/or E.U. regulations an asset, but not required.

Nexreg offers a highly competitive salary with the potential for significant career advancement. If interested, please e-mail cover letter and current resume ATTN: Jeff Burns, Canadian Regulatory Manager to info@nexreg.com.

Steven M. Siros of Law.com has an interesting article titled
Compliance With Foreign Environmental Health and Safety Regulations on issues of interest to Nexreg clients, such as EU Directives and REACH:

The REACH regulation is similar to the Toxic Substances Control Act in the United States, and will apply to chemical manufacturers in the EU beginning June 1, 2007. REACH is designed to streamline the existing legislative framework governing the production and importation of chemical substances in the EU. REACH is intended to create a single system to regulate “new” and “existing” chemical substances, and is expected to spur the phase-out of more dangerous chemicals in favor of safer substitutes.

REACH will require manufacturers and importers of chemical substances in the EU to submit registrations for every chemical that is manufactured or imported in a quantity greater than one metric ton per year. The information to be included in the registration depends on the volume of chemical produced. For chemical substances produced in amounts between one and 10 tons, a technical dossier containing information on the properties, uses and classification of the chemical is required. Chemical substances produced in excess of 10 tons will require a chemical safety report that documents the hazards and classification of a particular substance, as well as an assessment of the risks associated with the particular chemical.

If you are unsure on how REACH, or other EU issues may impact your company, feel free to contact a Nexreg representative at:

Nexreg Canada: (519)488-5126 (London, ON)
Nexreg UK: +44 020 7993 5893 (London, UK)
Nexreg USA: (206)418-6663 (Seattle, WA)
E-mail: info@nexreg.com

SeattlePi: State mulls cosmetic safety law on a potential new cosmetics law for Washington State:

But what’s in that stuff and is it safe for consumers, children and the environment?

The federal government doesn’t know. Scientists have linked some of the ingredients to developmental defects and cancer. Even if shoppers want to avoid potentially dangerous chemicals, manufacturers don’t have to list all of them on the label, instead using vague terminology such as “fragrance.”

So state lawmakers are following California’s lead and taking the matter into their own hands with the Washington Safe Cosmetics Act of 2007.

We will be watching the development of this law closely, to see how it impacts our clients.

To speak to a Nexreg representative about cosmetics labeling law in the United States, Canada, or Europe, please call or e-mail Nexreg at:

Nexreg Canada: (519)488-5126 (London, ON)
Nexreg UK: +44 020 7993 5893 (London, UK)
Nexreg USA: (206)418-6663 (Seattle, WA)
E-mail:info@nexreg.com

Emilia Sweeney gives excellent advice for companies that discover one of their products may violate CPSC regulations:

Recalls of defective products are costly undertakings, especially when potential adverse publicity is considered in addition to the money actually spent on returns, repairs, or exchanges of the products. As costly as a recall may be, however, it can be costlier still if the manufacturer or retailer neglects to advise the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) of the defective product if the defect poses a safety threat to the consumer.

In January, for example, the Hoover Co. agreed to pay a $750,000 penalty to settle allegations that the company had failed to report to the CPSC the sale of vacuum cleaners with defective switches that could cause the appliances to catch fire. Every proper risk-management plan, therefore, needs to include protocols for contacting the CPSC when the company learns one of its products may pose a risk of injury to a consumer.

The federal Consumer Product Safety Act requires every manufacturer, distributor, and retailer to report to the CPSC a product that fails to comply with an applicable consumer product safety rule, whether statutory or voluntary; contains a defect that could create a substantial product hazard; or creates an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death. Failure to do so can result in significant penalties.

See the full article here.

Some bath products may soon require Prop 65 warnings if they are sold in California, according to an article in the L.A. Times:

Some shampoos and other bath products still contain traces of a cancer-causing petrochemical that federal health officials have expressed concerns about for more than 20 years, according to test results announced Thursday by environmental activists.

All 18 children’s and adult products tested in a laboratory contained 1,4-dioxane, and three had concentrations that exceeded the Food and Drug Administration’s recommended limit, says the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a San Francisco-based coalition of eight national environmental and health advocacy organizations…

“However, some cosmetics, detergents and shampoos may contain levels higher than recommended by FDA,” says a report by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency advises consumers to avoid products listing the surfactants PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, polyethoxyethylene or polyoxynolethylene as ingredients unless the company has shown that they are not tainted with 1,4-dioxane.

The chemical was declared a carcinogen under California’s Proposition 65, which requires warnings on products that pose a certain cancer risk. But state officials have not reviewed whether any products contain enough to trigger such warnings.

See the full article here

To show that we’re a global company headquartered in Canada, rather than just a Canadian company, we’ve moved our news from Nexreg.ca to Nexreg.com. The news site can now be found at: http://www.nexreg.com/regulatorynews/index.php.