First HALS approved for food contact applications worldwide

11-Oct-06

BASF's light stabilizer Uvinul 4050 H has obtained a food contact notification (FCN) for the use in plastics that come into contact with foods by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). With this approval, plastics for food-contact applications can fulfill the highest standards of resistance to weathering. Uvinul 4050 H belongs to the group of low molecular-mass sterically hindered amines (monomeric HALS). It scavenges the free radicals that are formed when plastics are degraded by exposure to light and renders them harmless. This helps to prevent further degradation of the polymer, and it retains its initial visual appearance and mechanical properties much longer. Uvinul 4050 H is designed to be used in polypropylene, polystyrene, styrene copolymers and acrylonitrile copolymers that come into contact with foodstuffs. Such applications include its use to make woven fiber sacks, electrical kitchen equipment, thermoformed packaging and disposable cutlery. The FDA approval allows Uvinul 4050 H to be used at a concentration of up to 0.5 per cent in polystyrene, styrene copolymers and acrylonitrile copolymers. It is also approved for use at a concentration of up to 0.25 per cent in polypropylene in contact with all types of foodstuffs except those with an alcohol content of more than 8%.