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10/26/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/25/2021 23:21

Colombia Issues Resolution for Food Contact Glass and Ceramics

Colombia has published its technical regulation on food contact glass, ceramics and glass-ceramics. The new law will become effective on March 20, 2022.

SAFEGUARDS | HardgoodsNO. 143/21

In September 2021, Colombia's Ministry of Health and Social Protection (Ministerio de Salud y de Protección Social) published Resolution No. 1440/2021 (Resolución Número 1440 de 2021 (Sep. 20, 2021)) to establish the technical regulation on tableware and articles of glass, ceramic or glass-ceramic that are intended to come into contact with food, as well as ceramic cookware. The new law contains several important provisions. It:

  • Provides the list of HS codes for products that are within scope and clarifies that the characteristics of a product will also be considered for determining whether it falls within scope
  • Defines certain exemptions, including personal belongings as established by the National Tax and Customs Directorate (Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales, DIAN) and articles for decorative purposes but such articles are obliged to have a label, sticker, marking or permanent marking indicating 'Producto decorative, no apto para contacto con alimentos' (Decorative products, not suitable for food contact')
  • Specifying the standards and migration requirements for lead and cadmium:
    • NTC ISO 6486 Parts 1 and 2 (see Table 1 below)
    • NTC ISO 7086 Parts 1 and 2 (see Table 2 below)
    • NTC ISO 8391 Parts 1 and 2 (see Table 3 below)
  • Accepts Parts 1 and 2 to ISO 6486, ISO 7086 and ISO 8391 as equivalent to the corresponding NTC standards in the point above
  • Details the labeling requirements in Spanish (without prejudice to other languages) for product labels (Article 6)
  • Requires sampling to be carried out in accordance with ISO 2859-1 at the inspection level that is determined by the Certification Body (Organismo de Certificación)
  • Requires the product certificate of conformity (CoC) to be issued under Scheme 1b (batch), 4 or 5
  • Requires testing to be carried out by laboratories that are accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by the National Accreditation Body of Colombia (Organismo Nacional de Acreditación de Colombia, ONAC), or by a laboratory accredited by an Accreditation Body belonging to the Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRA) of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)
  • Requires products to have a CoC that is issued by a Certification Body accredited by ONAC, or an Accreditation Body belonging to the Multilateral Recognition Agreements (MRA) of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), of which the ONC is a signatory
  • Accepts a Declaration of conformity (DoC) in accordance with ISO/IEC 17050 Parts 1 and 2 for domestic manufacturers and importers until there is at least one ONAC accredited Certification Body:
    • This DoC will only be valid for 30 days from the date of the accreditation of the first Certification Body
  • Clarifies that products manufactured and imported under Resolution 1893/2019, extended by Resolution 1163/2020, are obliged to demonstrate compliance with the new Resolution (SafeGuardS 5/20 and 115/20)

The new Resolution will become effective on March 20, 2022 - six months after its publication in the nation's Official Gazette.

Highlights of the migration limits for lead and cadmium in NTC ISO 6486-2, NTC ISO 7086-2 and NTC ISO 8391-2 are summarized in Tables 1 to 3.

Resolution No. 1440 of September 20, 2021
Table 2 (As per the resolution text) 'Permissible release limits of lead and cadmium in ceramic, glass-ceramic and glass dinnerware in contact with food'

Scope*

Limit (NTC ISO 6486-2)

Lead

Cadmium

Flatware

0.8 mg/dm2

0.07 mg/dm²

Small hollowware (< 1.1L)

2.0 mg/L

0.5 mg/L

Large hollowware (≥ 1.1L)

1.0 mg/L

0.25 mg/L

Cups and mugs

0.5 mg/L

0.25 mg/L

Storage hollowware (≥ 3L)

0.5 mg/L

0.25 mg/L

Cooking ware**

0.5 mg/L

0.05 mg/L

*Testing according to NTC ISO 6486-1
**Migration requirements for lead and cadmium in ceramic cookware are in Table 4 of the Resolution or Table 3 below)

Table 1

Resolution No. 1440 of September 20, 2021
Table 3 (as per the resolution text) 'Permissible release limits for lead and cadmium in glass hollowware in contact with food'

Scope*

Limit (NTC ISO 7086-2)

Lead

Cadmium

Small glass hollowware (< 600 mL)

1.5 mg/L

0.5 mg/L

Large glass hollowware (≥ 600 mL)

0.75 mg/L

0.25 mg/L

Storage glass hollowware (≥ 3L)

0.5 mg/L

0.25 mg/L

1Testing according to NTC ISO 7086-1

Table 2

Resolution No. 1440 of September 20, 2021
Table 4 (As per the resolution text) 'Permissible release limits for lead and cadmium in ceramic articles for cooking'

Scope1

(NTC ISO 8391-1)

Lead

Cadmium

Small glass hollowware

5 mg/L

0.5 mg/L

1Testing according to NTC ISO 8391-1

Table 3

SGS technical experts have extensive knowledge and testing experience in materials and articles in contact with food. They work to ensure that your products meet the appropriate regulations for food contact materials, paving the way for compliance. From overall migration tests to expert advice on emerging regulations, compliance issues and documentation review, SGS is the partner to trust. In the end, it's only trusted because it's tested. Discover more on our website and read our brochure.

For inquiries, please contact:

Dr. Hingwo Tsang
Global Information and Innovation Manager
t: (+852) 2774 7420

Camilo E. Ramírez R
Certification Director - SGS COLOMBIA S.A.S
t: +57 1 606 92 92

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