Rubber products are widely used as food contact materials, such as food transport piping, gloves, and seals, as well as in pacifiers and soothers for infants and young children, due to their insulating properties, resistance to acid and alkali corrosion, and high elasticity.
As a large number of auxiliaries and additives will be used in the processing of rubber products, and chemical reactions may occur during the vulcanisation process, some of the toxic and harmful qualities in the auxiliaries and additives may migrate and be released, affecting the safety of the food products in contact with them, and ultimately endangering the health of consumers.
Japan's regulatory framework for food packaging materials combines government regulations such as the Basic Law for Food Safety1 and the Food Sanitation Law,2 as well as industry standards established voluntarily by industry associations. The Food Sanitation Law provides general safety standards; the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) Circular No. 370, "Normative Guidelines for Food, Food Additives, etc.3", Chapter 3, provides some more specific and restrictive requirements for food utensils, containers and packaging made of ceramics, glass, enamels, rubber and plastics.
On 11 August 2020, France issued a new decree of 5 August 2020 (Arrêté du 5 août 2020) to further regulate rubber products in contact with foodstuffs as well as baby teats, which replaces and repeals the old order of 9 November 1994 on rubber materials and products coming into contact with foodstuffs, foodstuffs and beverages, and which has entered into force on 1 July 2021.