Within the area of food contact materials, migration limits have been set for many substances based on the toxicological risk assessment of these substances. These limits are included in Food Contact regulations with the aim to control the exposure to these substances to protect our health.
Migration is the transfer of chemical substances from food contact materials into food. For plastic materials two types of migration limits have been established in Commission Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011.
Overall migration
The Overall Migration limit (OML) applies to the sum of all substances that can migrate from the food contact material to the food (or food simulant). The overall migration limit is a measure for the inertness of the material.
Specific migration
A Specific Migration Limit (SML) applies to an individual substance and is based on toxicological studies. Analytical techniques are used to identify the presence of these substances in food (and food simulants).
