The directive applies to regenerated cellulose film — either in the form of a finished product in itself or part of a finished product containing other materials — which is intended to come into contact or placed in contact with food.

In addition to those basic rules, more specific feed and food law covers different areas such as animal nutrition including medicated feedingstuffs, feed and food hygiene, zoonoses, animal by-products, residues and contaminants, control and eradication of animal diseases with a public health impact, feed and food labelling, pesticides, feed and food additives, vitamins, mineral salts, trace elements and other additives, materials in contact with food, quality and compositional requirements, drinking water, ionisation, novel foods and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

With effect from 1 January 1993, the date of completion of the internal market, a ban will apply throughout the European Community on the marketing and use in contact with foodstuffs of any plastics which do not comply with the criteria laid down by the directive.

The Commission recently adopted a directive concerning plastic materials coming into contact with foodstuffs.

This is the first implementing directive arising out of the framework directive on materials and articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs, and is part of the action programme to remove technical barriers to trade with a view to completion of the internal market.

The directive represents a very important step towards achieving the single market, in particular since it also enables legal effect to be given to two directives on the system of checking the suitability of plastics intended to come into contact with foodstuffs, which had already been approved but had not yet come into force.