[Hazards for health related to migration of substances from packaging into food].

The release of the substances from food packaging into food triggers the problem for food safety and is the matter of particular interest in the European Commission (EC) and Member States. The problems concerning the presence of these substances in the food which result from their migration from food contact materials, and the EC activities to discover the causes of this phenomenon including an assessment of possible health impact are presented in this article. The risk assessment is provided by the European Food Safety Authority which is obliged to issue a scientific opinion on expected heath effects. Food contact articles which do not conform to the food safety provisions are reported to the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). The health hazards due to the presence in food of the semicarbazide (SEM), photoinitiators (isopropylthioxantone (ITX), benzophenone compounds), primary aromatic amines (PAAs) and bisphenol A (BPA) were discussed and the relevant European Commission actions aiming at consumers health protection as a reaction to reduce the expected risk were also presented in this article.