Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 411/2, EIC 413/2, EIC 429/2, EIC 432/2

29 May 2012

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 384/2012

MERCOSUR (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) : List of Substances Authorised for Manufacture of Plastic Food Containers

The Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, issued a Resolution No. 2/2012 to establish technical regulations on the list of substances that may be used in the manufacture of plastic food containers. The technical regulations have to be incorporated by member states into their respective national legislation by 1 November 2012. 

2. The technical regulations contain a list of monomers, polymers and other substances that can be used in the manufacture of plastic containers and equipments, and polymer coating intended to be in direct contact with food. Other substances that are not on the list but allowed in such plastic applications are certain residue substances, oligomers and natural or synthetic macromolecular substances and its mixtures, mixture of authorized substances, and certain salts including aluminium, ammonia, barium, calcium, zinc, cobalt, copper, iron, lithium, magnesium, manganese, potassium and sodium salts of authorised acids, phenols or alcohols. Zinc and lithium salts of the authorised acids, phenols or alcohols are subject to migration limits of 25 and 0.6 milligram per kilogram respectively.
 

2. For details, traders are advised to consult their importers in MERCOSUR member countries and/or the relevant MERCOSUR Resolution (in Spanish or Portuguese), which is available at: 
http://www.mercosur.int/innovaportal/v/4151/1/secretaria/resoluciones_2012.

ENQUIRIES

4. For enquiries about the content of this circular, please contact Miss S Y TANG at telephone number 2398 5405.

Yours faithfully,

(Ms Cindy CHENG)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry