Food Contact Chemicals Database (FCCdb)
Food Contact Chemicals Database (FCCdb)
The Food Contact Chemicals database (FCCdb) created by the Food Packaging Forum, contains an extensive set of intentionally added food contact chemicals, with hazard and regulatory information included where available. Its scope is global.
The FCCdb compiles information from 67 lists of FCCs from publicly available sources, including regulatory lists and industry inventories. The current version of the database (version 5.0) identifies 12,285 distinct FCCs that are potentially used worldwide in the manufacture of FCMs and FCAs. Following a review of all substances within the database, authoritative sources of hazard information (such as the Globally Harmonized System) were used to prioritize 608 of these FCCs for further assessment and substitution in FCMs and FCAs.
Food contact materials (FCMs) are used to make food contact articles (FCAs) that come into contact with food and beverages during, for example, processing, storing, packaging, or consumption. The chemicals within these FCMs and FCAs are known as food contact chemicals (FCCs), and they can contaminate food when they migrate from the materials into the food. Some FCCs are known to be hazardous. However, the universe of FCCs that are used to produce many different types of FCMs/FCAs is complex and largely not well mapped, because information on chemical structures, use patterns, and migration potentials of FCCs is often absent or scattered across multiple sources. Therefore, the Food Packaging Forum has developed the Food Contact Chemicals Database (FCCdb) to gather and publicly share available information on FCCs. The FCCdb is a deliverable within the ongoing Food Contact Chemicals and Human Health (FCCH) Project led by the Food Packaging Forum.