Scientific Opinion on safety assessment of the active substance, iron (0) modified kaolinite as oxygen absorber, for use in active food contact materials

This scientific opinion of EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids deals with the safety assessment of the iron (0) modified kaolinite, intended to be incorporated in monolayer or multilayer packages or in sachets for absorbing oxygen from the food environment. All starting substances have been evaluated and approved for use as additives in plastic or as food additives. Based on migration results, specific migration limit of iron is not expected to be exceeded under the intended conditions of use. Migration of boron was higher than the total specific migration limit of 6 mg/kg but in the range of the tolerable upper intake level (UL) of 10 mg boron/person per day set by the EFSA NDA Panel in 2004. Migration of aluminium is expected to occur at levels corresponding to less than 1 % of the TWI set in 2008. Therefore the CEF Panel concluded that the use of iron (0) modified kaolinite does not raise a safety concern when used as oxygen absorber incorporated without compatibilisers in polyolefin articles used for long term of storage at room temperature or refrigeration i) at level up to 3 % w/w incorporated in polyolefin layer in direct contact with all types of food including beverages, or ii) at higher levels, when the food is separated from the active material by a layer of polyolefin that does not contain the oxygen absorber formulation and offering a barrier to diffusion against inorganic species at least equivalent to 10 µm polypropylene. The substance equally does not raise a safety concern when it is used in sachets, placed in the headspace of the packaging, that prevent the physical release of their contents into the food and are not in direct contact with liquid foods, exudates, or foods with external aqueous liquid phase.