Ecuador has announced a revised proposal
that, if accepted, will update its technical regulation for food contact
ceramics.
The latest proposal, designated Ecuadorian
Technical Regulation RTE UNEN 010 (2R) – ‘Ceramic Tableware Intended to Come
into Contact with Food’, was circulated attached to World Trade Organization
(WTO) document no. 20-4675 on July 8, 2020. It has a new structure and contains
several important changes, including:
- Revision
to existing definitions and addition of new definitions - Addition
of a table detailing the migration requirements for lead and cadmium (see
below) - Mandating
the list of information that must be included for labeling requirements. - Requirements
for conformity evaluation procedure (Procedimiento de Evaluación de la Conformidad (PEC)), including:
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- Inspection and sampling
- Requiring four identical units/samples for testing
- Product certificate of conformity (CoC)
- Supplier declaration of conformity (DoC)
- Test reports recognized by the Ecuadorian
Accreditation Service (Servicio de Acreditación Ecuatoriano, SAE)
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The table detailing the migration
requirements (criteria for 4 units) for lead and cadmium covers:
Lead
- Flatware ≤
0.8 mg/dm² (average) - Small
Hollowware ≤ 2 mg/l - Large
Hollowware ≤ 1 mg/l - Storage
Hollowware ≤ 0.5 mg/l - Cups and
Mugs ≤ 0.5 mg/l - Cooking
Ware≤ 0.5 mg/l
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Cadmium
- Flatware ≤
0.07 mg/dm² (average) - Small
Hollowware ≤ 0.5 mg/l - Large
Hollowware ≤ 0.25 mg/l - Storage Hollowware
≤ 0.25 mg/l - Cups and
Mugs ≤ 0.25 mg/l - Cooking
Ware ≤ 0.25 mg/l
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The table lists ISO 6486-2 as the standard
and ISO 6486-1 or NTE INEN ISO 6486-1 as the test standard.
Ecuador is currently holding a
consultation on the proposal. Once approved, Ecuadorian Technical Regulation
RTE UNEN 010 (2R) will enter into force six months after it is published in the
Official Register, according to the WTO document in Q1 of 2021. It will replace
RTE INEN 010:2013 (IR) and Amendments 1, 2 and 3:2014 on food contact ceramics.
SGS Food Contact Material Services
SGS’s technical experts have extensive experience of testing materials and
articles in contact with food. They can ensure that your products meet the
appropriate regulations for food contact materials and pave the way for
compliance. SGS offers the full range of testing, including migration tests,
along with expert advice on emerging regulations, compliance issues and
documentation review. Learn more
about SGS’s Food
Contact Material Services.
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