Non-Intentionally Added Substances (NIAS)

Can you guarantee the safety of NIAS migrating from your products? This is a very hot topic in the food contact materials supply chain. More importantly, European regulations require that non-listed substances (including NIAS) be assessed in accordance with internationally-recognized risk assessment principles. What does this mean? What do you need to do? And when have you done enough? With our extensive experience in NIAS evaluation, we’re your partner in finding the right answers to these questions.

We think that a NIAS evaluation should include a proper risk assessment based on exposure and hazard – not just an analytical screening. We also believe in a pragmatic approach in which assessment efforts are in proportion to the risks posed.

Starting with the analytical NIAS screening, we use several techniques to detect a wide range of substances. The identification of discovered NIAS is done using relevant literature, in-house chemistry knowledge and all available information concerning the starting materials of your product. Exposure assessments of discovered NIAS may be performed using various modeling techniques (e.g. FACET), as necessary. In determining hazards, we use existing restrictions, substance-specific toxicological information or the TTC-approach (Threshold of Toxicological Concern).

All of our NIAS evaluations are customized to meet your needs and standards. We understand that you have to make a lot of important choices when considering a NIAS evaluation. Our analytical experts and toxicologists can therefore advise you on best practices. Feel free to contact us to discuss your NIAS concerns.