Non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) are becoming increasingly important when assessing food contact materials. New requirements for declarations of compliance for plastic food contact materials, together with a new guideline of the German Federl Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), show that NIAS are gaining increasing attention within compliance work.
Not intentionally added, nevertheless relevant: NIAS are becoming an increasingly important topic in the assessment of food contact materials. They can include impurities as well as reaction or degradation products that are not deliberately used during manufacturing but may still be present in the finished material.
The topic has become particularly relevant with Regulation (EU) 2025/351, amending Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 on plastic materials and articles. Among other things, the requirements for the declaration of compliance were updated. Information on NIAS and their safety assessment must now be integrated in the declaration of compliance. Manufacturers of plastic food contact materials therefore need to consider NIAS when preparing and reviewing declarations of compliance and when passing on relevant information along the supply chain.
Furthermore, on 10 September 2026, BfR also published a new guideline on the risk assessment of NIAS in food contact materials. The guideline describes approaches for identifying and quantifying NIAS and for assessing their toxicological relevance. The guideline is not intended as a binding method for routine compliance testing of food contact materials. However, the BfR points out that the approach can also provide useful guidance for other NIAS risk assessments in the field of food contact materials.
Both the amendment to Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 and the new BfR guideline show that NIAS are no longer just a specialist analytical topic. They are becoming an increasingly important part of the compliance assessment of food contact materials.
