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Azerbaijan has introduced new comprehensive regulations for food contact materials (FCMs) and articles. The new rules, titled “Sanitary Norms And Rules For Materials And Articles In Contact With Food” and formalized under Decision of the Board No. 56 of May 20, 2025, by the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency (AFSA), is set to take effect on August 20, 2025.
The new rules ensure the implementation of the nation’s Law on Food Safety and Regulation, and are based on EU regulations including:
Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004 on materials and articles intended to come into contact with food;
Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1895/2005 on certain epoxy derivatives; and
Commission Directive 93/11/EEC concerning N-nitrosamines and N-nitrosatable substances from elastomer or rubber teats and soothers.
Key provisions of the rules cover a wide range of requirements, from general safety and labeling to specific stipulations for various material types. These include detailed guidelines for active and intelligent materials, paper and board products, metals and alloys, and glass.
For instance, the rules prohibit the transfer of colorants from paper-based materials to food and set strict migration limits for the following substances:
| Substance | Maximum concentration limits |
| Arsenic | 2 mg/kg |
| Chloride | 0.2% (as a percentage of the material or article) |
| Polychlorinated biphenyl | 2 mg/kg |
| Formaldehyde | 15 mg/kg |
| Lead | 0.003 mg/dm2 |
| Cadmium | 0.002 mg/dm2 |
| Mercury | 0.002 mg/dm2 |
| Pentachlorophenol | 0.15 mg/dm2 |
Furthermore, specific restrictions are placed on epoxy derivatives such as 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane bis(2,3-epoxypropyl) ether (BADGE), bis(hydroxyphenyl)methane bis(2,3-epoxypropyl) ethers (BFDGE), and Novolac glycidyl ethers (NOGE), with defined migration limits to ensure product safety.
