. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/EEC/321 
22 January 2008  
 (08-0304) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
  
If applicable, name of local government involved:     
2. Agency responsible:  Commission of the European Communities.  Health & Consumer 
Protection Directorate-General  Directorate D – Animal Health and Welfare 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numb er(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable):  Materials and articles in contact with  food including catering containers and 
materials and articles in contact with dri nking water.  HS Codes 3919, 3920, 3923 & 3924.  
ICS: 67.250 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable :  
Member States of the European Communities (E C) and third countries exporting the products 
concerned to the EC 
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  "Guidance on submission 
of a dossier for safety evaluation by the EFS A of a recycling process to produce recycled 
plastics intended to be used for manufacture of materials and articles  in contact with food " 
(10 pages) 
6. Description of content:  Administrative and technical data required to obtai n authorization 
for production processes of recy cled plastics.  These guideli nes apply to processes using 
mechanical recycling and do not applies to chemical recycling processes, recycled plastics used behind a plastic functional barrier and off-cuts and scraps that have not yet been in 
contact with food.  
Background:   In document G/TBT/N/EEC/176 (dated  14 January 2008) the EC notified the 
establishment of an authorisation procedure for recycled plastics to be used in the 
manufacturing of food contact mate rials.  Article 5 of the propos al sets that each specified 
recycling processes will require an  authorisation.  For this, certain data must be submitted to 
the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), with  a view to obtain an opinion on safety for 
consumer. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [   ] animal health,  [   ] plant protection, [  
 ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,  [   ] protect territory from other 
damage from pests    G/SPS/N/EEC/321 
Page 2  
 
  8. International standard, guideline or recommendation:  
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [   ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:    
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:   Draft Commission 
Regulation on recycled plastic mate rials and articles intended to come into contact with foods 
and amending Commission Regulation (EC) No 2023/2006 (document SANCO/3447/2007) 
notified in G/TBT/N/ EEC/176 available from 
http://members.wto.org/crnatt achments/2008/tbt/EEC/08_0091_00_e.pdf  
Commission Regulation 2023/2006 of 22 Decem ber 2006 on good manufacturing practice for 
materials and articles intended to come into contact with food (O.J. Num. L84, 
29 December 2006 pp.:75 -78) available from 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=OJ :L:2006:384:0075:0078:EN:PDF  
Other documents relevant to this notification,  can be found on the website of DG Health and 
Consumer Protection at  http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/chemic alsafety/foodcontact/index_en.htm
 
10. Proposed date of adoption:  April 2008 (not possible to esti mate a more specific date) 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  April 2008 
12. Final date for comments:  6 March 2008 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification 
authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: 
European Food Safety Authority, EFSA 
Largo N. Palli 5/A. I-43100 Parma Tel: +(39 0521) 036 111 Fax:  +(39-0521) 036 110 E-mail:  info@efsa.europa.eu 
Internet:  http://www.efsa.europa.eu
 
 Note:  For this public consultation sele ct "Open Consultations" or the link:  
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/ EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753812_1178676571667.htm
 
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notificati on authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or 
address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: 
European Food Safety Authority, EFSA 
Largo N. Palli 5/A. I-43100 Parma 
Tel:  +(39 0521) 036 111 Fax:  +(39 0521) 036 110 E-mail:  info@efsa.europa.eu Internet:  http://www.efsa.europa.eu