Recently, the European Commission kicked-off a process to evaluate and likely revise the current EU Food Contact Materials (FCM) legislation. Now, this is a big deal for any stakeholders in this space—domestic or European -- considering that the current legislation has been in in-place for many years and the proliferation of national standards has greatly complicated an already complex area. That is why I was excited when Renato Addis, of the Brussels-based regulatory consulting firm EPPA and this week’s guest, told me that he had been invited to participate in this kick-off meeting.

Renato talked to me about what he learned during this important meeting and all the reasons why 2019 will be a critical year for anyone following this space. We had an interesting and wide-ranging discussion that covered a whole lot of ground: we discussed the term “fit for purpose”, the EU’s regulation of single-use plastics, the timeline of important opportunities for stakeholders to engage in the process of shaping this new legislation, and even the potential impact of Brexit.

Renato and his firm, EPPA, are long-time friends and collaborators with B&C and our consulting affiliate, The Acta Group, which conveniently has an office in Brussels co-located with EPPA. Renato is a partner with EPPA. His prior’s. experience of working with the EC’s External Affairs Directorate, representing the Commission before the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee on the Regions make him ideally suited to discuss the law, politics, and logistics of the FCM initiative.

There is sure to be a lot of interest in this legislative review, and Renato does a fantastic job of helping us here in the U.S. begin to wrap our minds around it.ALL MATERIALS IN THIS PODCAST ARE PROVIDED SOLELY FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES. THE MATERIALS ARE NOT INTENDED TO CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE OR THE PROVISION OF LEGAL SERVICES. ALL LEGAL QUESTIONS SHOULD BE ANSWERED DIRECTLY BY A LICENSED ATTORNEY PRACTICING IN THE APPLICABLE AREA OF LAW.