Dr. Alistair Irvine is Business Manager at Smithers Pira (smitherspira.com). Dr. Irvine joined Smithers Pira in 1994. He manages the Food Packaging Safety Section within the company. This involves advising clients on safety legislation, which applies to food packaging in a wide range of countries around the world and coordinating work programs to ensure that clients' products meet these requirements. His expertise spans regulations in the USA, EU, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Israel, Russia and all of South America. He graduated with a degree and PhD in Chemistry from Birmingham University, UK.
Plastics, paper and other packaging materials bring many benefits to the food supply chain, including sterility and prolonged shelf life. However, there is the potential for transfer of chemicals from the packaging to the food, which is why FDA regulations surrounding food contact materials exist. Understanding this legislation is key to creating effective, safe and legally compliant packaging.
