Safety assessment of the substance alpha-tocopherol acetate for use in food contact materials

This scientific opinion of the EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF) deals with the safety assessment of alpha-tocopherol acetate, CAS Nos 7695-91-2 and 58-95-7, and FCM No 1055, as an antioxidant for its use in polyolefins intended for contact with all food types under any time and temperature conditions. The acetate is intended to hydrolyse with moisture in situ in the plastic and the active antioxidant in the plastic is the free alpha-tocopherol. Based on an assumption of total mass transfer for the maximum use level of 650 mg/kg plastic, the worst-case migration of the substance was calculated to be 56 mg/kg food. The substance readily hydrolyses into alpha-tocopherol and acetic acid, which are both authorised without restrictions under Regulation (EU) No 10/2011. dl-alpha-Tocopherol and acetic acid are authorised food additives under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 and toxicological data were available for tocopherols that were evaluated as food additives in 2015 (EFSA ANS Panel, 2015). The CEF Panel concluded therefore that the use of the substance in polyolefins does not raise a safety concern. (C) European Food Safety Authority, 2016