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Do you import plastic kitchenware from China? 
Then this Post Implementation Review (PIR) should be of great value to you 

On 1st July 2011 the plastic kitchenware imports regulations came into effect. Now, the regulations have been reviewed to provide additional official control measures on the import of melamine and polyamide (nylon) kitchenware from The People’s Republic of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of The People’s Republic of China. 

Although the UK exited the European Union (EU) on 31st December 2020, this country has retained what is an important European law. 

The routine follow-up plastic kitchenware imports PIR was carried out in 2016. Now it is time once again to review that decision. 

Investigation has revealed an extensive number of reported levels of non-compliance and there has been a steady flow of negative reports. However, the majority of non-compliance was for border rejections rather than compliance testing. 

It is not possible though to deduce whether there is a direct correlation with a decrease in levels of reported non-compliance in plastic kitchenware imports or not. 

Today, all plastic kitchenware imports must adhere to UK standards. Research shows, however, that some polyamide and melamine plastic kitchenware imports may contain primary aromatic amines (PAA). These occur as a result of impurities or degradation of products formed during the production process. 

Many PAAs are considered toxic and some are considered to be possible carcinogens. 

All plastic kitchenware imports must comply with Plastic Regulations and must not release PAAs into food in a detectable quantity. 

The detection rate is set at 0.01 milligrams per kilogram. Any reading above that migration limit causes the article to be deemed as non-compliant! 

If you are at all concerned about the compliancy of your purchases from China or Hong Kong, then please speak to Aerona and we will do our very best to provide an authoritative answer for you. 

This is a very complex subject however, and if we at Aerona do not feel qualified enough to provide suitable and authoritative answers for you we will do our very best to direct you to the official bodies who are qualified to provide appropriate answers to your query.

You can contact Aerona by telephoning 0161 652 3443. You could also email us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or you can send us a message using the form that can be found on our Contact page. Please remember, at Aerona we are here to help you.