The trade bloc of South America (Mercosur) has released a preliminary regulatory proposal aimed at modernizing the roster of permissible additives for food contact materials.

Should the proposal gain approval, it would result in an update to technical regulation No 02/12. The key addition would be the inclusion of tetramethyl bisphenol F diglycyl ether in the 'positive list' for food contact materials, which specifies authorized plastics and polymeric coatings.

Additionally, the proposal would impose restrictions on the use of polyamide-imide 2, confining it to being a binding agent exclusively for high-temperature resistant cookware.

For these changes to become legally binding in each of the Mercosur countries, namely Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, they would need to integrate this standard into their national legislations.

Interested parties are invited to submit their comments on the proposal by the 30th of October.

In a meeting held in May 19-20, 2021 (SGT 6), the Mercosur Environment Working Subgroup recommended advancing the regulatory framework within the bloc. The proposal includes the adoption of an updated GHS version and a regulatory harmonization among countries, although a proper version was not defined.

Mercosur is composed of four countries: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Brazil and Uruguay adopted GHS 4th version, Argentina implemented the 5th, and Paraguay has to endorse the system.

In Latin America, the arrangement of chemical control (GHS, inventory, notification, and registration) is on the surge. Six countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, and Mexico) are developing their future national chemical legislation; meanwhile, Chile recently approved its regulation for the classification, labeling, and notification of hazardous chemicals and mixtures in February 2021.

The implementation of GHS is usually seen as one of the first steps for a country to enhance its chemical management system. The recently published Roadmap for the Rational Management of Industrial Chemical Substances and Products shows increased regional cooperation within countries in Latin America is on the way.

Last update: 2021-05-20