German BfR Recommendations for Food Contact Materials Updated Regarding TPV

In June 2026, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) updated the official BfR Recommendations on the health assessment of food contact materials. The new changes primarily focus on and around the new subsection XXI/3 regarding thermoplastic elastomer vulcanizates, or TPV.

Requirement Summary and Effective Dates:

In June 2026, the Germany BfR Recommendations on Materials for Food Contact were updated. Category XXI, Commodities based on natural and synthetic rubber, was amended and a new subsection XXI/3 was added regarding thermoplastic elastomer vulcanizates (TPV). The two previously existing two subsections have been amended accordingly to remove references to TPV. The subsections of XXI are now named:

• XXI/1: Commodities based on natural and synthetic rubber in contact with food;
• XXI/2: Special consumer goods based on natural and synthetic rubber and on latices made of natural and synthetic rubber (formerly special category); and
• XXI/3: Consumer goods made of thermoplastic elastomer vulcanizates (TPV)

Section XXXV (on Copolymers of ethylene, propylene, butylene, vinyl esters and unsaturated aliphatic acids, and their salts and esters) has been also amended to replace part B of the section with a reference to the new XXI/3 instead. XXI/1 was also amended to remove the paragraphs concerning the use of specified rubber in combination with specified copolymers, and the use of nitrile rubber in combination with polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

The new section XXI/3:

• Defines the scope of the new recommendations for TPV within the German Food and Feed Code (LFGB);
• Defines TPV (Thermoplastic Vulcanizates) and redefines TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomers);
• Establishes migration guidelines for Overall migration limits, specific migration limits, and residual content limits in TPV food contact materials;
• Requires tests to be performed on finished cross-linked TPV as regards the categories in XXI/1;
• Provides a list of authorized substances, thermoplastics, rubber components, and cross-linking agents allowed for use in manufacturing TPVs;

For more information, see text of: 
BfR Recommendations on Materials for Food Contact https://empfehlungen.bfr.bund.de/recommendations?locale=en (English)
https://empfehlungen.bfr.bund.de/recommendations?locale=de (German)

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