APEAL members manufacture tinplate under a strict regulatory environment which includes, among others, adherence to European and other national/supra-national legislations on Good Manufacturing Practices, Food Contact compliance and controls for the purity and composition of metals for use in contact with food.
Food contact materials regulation
General rules that are applicable to all food contact materials are described in the EU Framework Regulation on Food Contact materials.
EU Food contaminants regulation
Commission Regulation 1881/2006 specifies maximum levels of inorganic tin in canned foods and canned beverages.
The Council of Europe resolution on metals and alloys in contact with food stuff
Though not legally binding for member states this resolution serves as a reference for the implementation of Article 3 paragraph 1 of Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004.
Good Manufacturing Practices
The Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) regulation covers aspects of quality assurance which ensure that all food contact materials and articles are consistently produced and controlled to ensure conformity with applicable rules and quality standards.
In parallel, the European metal packaging industry has developed its own voluntary GMP guidelines.
Three European standards have been developed for steel for packaging (blackplate, tinplate and ECCS) intended to enter into contact with foodstuffs. In general terms,
Standard EN 10334 covers the maximum content for alloying and residual elements present in steel (blackplate) used as a substrate for Tinplate/ECCS or as such in other applications.
Standard EN 10333 covers the composition of the base steel used for the production of tinplate as well as the composition of tin used to coat it.
Standard EN10335 specifies the base steel to be used and the composition of the metallic coating to be used for the manufacture of lacquered ECCS (electrolytic chromium/chromium oxide coated steel).
Standard EN 610.1996 controlling impurities within tin, tin alloys and ingot tin.