Food Packaging Forum
The Food Packaging Forum Foundation is a Zurich-based charitable non-profit (founded 2012) that curates six freely accessible databases on food contact chemicals and health, serving regulators, researchers, NGOs, industry, and consumers globally via donation-funded science communication.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Food Packaging Forum does
The Food Packaging Forum (FPF), legally the Food Packaging Forum Foundation, is a Swiss-registered charitable non-profit founded in 2012 and headquartered in Zurich at Staffelstrasse 10. It operates as a science communication organization providing independent, evidence-based information on the intersection of food packaging and health, with a particular focus on food contact chemicals (FCCs), their migration into food, human exposure, and regulatory implications. The organization is staffed by a team of 11 independent scientists, engineers, and project managers and operates without a parent company or venture capital backing.
FPF's core product is a suite of six proprietary, freely accessible databases — FCCdb (Food Contact Chemicals Database), FCCmigex (3,000+ migrating/extractable chemicals), FCChumon (3,601 FCCs documented in humans), FCMiNo (micro- and nanoplastics), FCCprio (1,222 prioritized hazardous chemicals), and BRID (Brand & Retailer Initiatives Database) — complemented by the interactive Food Contact eXplorer, educational resources (Crash Course, Fact Bites, Background Articles), peer-reviewed publications, and ongoing research projects (FCCH, UP Scorecard, AURORA, HCPP). A monthly newsletter and event programming (workshops, presentations, the Swiss Symposium on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals) extend reach. Distribution is global via foodpackagingforum.org, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and an RSS feed.
The business model is freemium/donation-based: all resources are provided free of charge, with revenue sourced from voluntary individual donations processed via Donorbox and Stripe (suggested CHF 10–500+ per donation, CHF 250/year for newsletter support). The organization actively participates in regulatory consultations with ECHA, the European Commission, FAO, and the U.S. EPA, and collaborates with NGOs including IPEN and PR3. Customer segments are horizontal and include regulatory authorities, academic researchers, industry/brand decision-makers, media, consumers, and civil society organizations.
Food Packaging Forum firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Food Packaging Forum
- Legal name
- Food Packaging Forum Foundation
- Website
- https://foodpackagingforum.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Food Packaging Forum Foundation is a Zurich-based charitable non-profit (founded 2012) that curates six freely accessible databases on food contact chemicals and health, serving regulators, researchers, NGOs, industry, and consumers globally via donation-funded science communication.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Food Packaging Forum industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Food Contact Chemicals Research and Science Communication
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Food Standards, Labeling & Claims Regulation (HLAJAEAB)
Keywords
Where Food Packaging Forum is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Food Packaging Forum business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Support: The Food Packaging Forum Foundation is a charitable, non-profit organization. They receive donations to support their independent scientific communication work. Donations can be made via credit card through Donorbox, or by bank transfer. Suggested donation amounts range from CHF 10 to CHF 500 or more. A mock invoice of CHF 250 is equivalent to one year support for the newsletter.
- Newsletter Subscription: Monthly newsletter subscription available with suggested donation amounts for annual support. The newsletter provides updates on regulatory authorities, scientific research, industry and consumer groups.
- Website Content Access: Use of FPF web content is included in donation/subscription offerings. Free resources are provided including fact sheets, databases, publications, and research tools.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free access to all databases, publications, and resources |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Food Packaging Forum product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Food Packaging Forum Foundation develops and freely disseminates interactive scientific databases, evidence maps, and educational resources on food contact chemicals and their health implications. Its core assets are six curated databases (FCCdb, FCCmigex, FCChumon, FCMiNo, FCCprio, BRID) and the Food Contact eXplorer tool, supported by peer-reviewed publications, monthly newsletters, and research projects. All resources are provided free to regulators, researchers, industry, media, and consumers worldwide.
Product overview
The Food Packaging Forum is a science communication organization offering a suite of six interactive databases covering food contact chemicals, including the FCCdb (Food Contact Chemicals Database), FCCmigex (Migrating/Extractable Chemicals), FCChumon (Human Monitoring Data), FCMiNo (Micro/Nanoplastics), FCCprio (Priority Chemicals List with 1,222 hazardous chemicals), and BRID (Brand/Retailer Initiatives). These databases are complemented by educational resources including Fact Bites, Crash Course, Background Articles, Publications (peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, dossiers), Talks & Presentations, and an interactive Food Contact eXplorer tool. The organization also publishes a monthly newsletter and conducts research through projects like UP Scorecard, AURORA, FCCH, and HCPP. All offerings are free, science-based resources enabling knowledge-based decision-making around food contact materials and health.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Food Contact Chemicals Database (FCCdb) Interactive database providing an overview of food contact chemicals, their properties, and regulatory status for regulators, researchers, and industry.
- FCCmigex Database Interactive database on migrating and extractable food contact chemicals summarizing evidence for over 3,000 chemicals measured in migrates and extracts of food contact materials.
- FCChumon Database Systematic evidence map database documenting 3,601 food contact chemicals with evidence of presence in humans, including chemicals with hazardous properties.
- Micro- and Nanoplastics in Contact with Food (FCMiNo) Database Database mapping evidence of plastic food contact materials releasing micro- and nanoplastics into food, for researchers and regulators.
- FCCprio List Prioritized list of 1,222 hazardous food contact chemicals across four tiers for phase-out and avoidance, available as a free download.
- Brand & Retailer Initiatives Database (BRID) Database tracking food brand and retailer packaging initiatives and commitments related to sustainability and chemical safety for industry benchmarking.
- Food Contact eXplorer Interactive tool that allows users to investigate specific chemicals, regulations, or material types in food contact materials.
- Monthly Newsletter Free monthly newsletter delivering updates on regulatory authorities, scientific research, industry, and consumer groups related to food packaging and health.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3,601 food contact chemicals documented with evidence of presence in humans
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Food Packaging Forum
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Food Packaging Forum technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Food Packaging Forum partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- PR3: The Global Alliance to Advance ReusecoreFPF reported on PR3's launch of the universal reuse symbol designed to identify reusable packaging and reuse systems. FPF covers PR3's standards development for durability and safety of reusable containers.
- European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)coreFPF engages with ECHA through regulatory consultations and submissions. FPF submitted evidence to ECHA's call for comments on occupational exposure limits for bisphenols, providing data from FCCdb, FCCmigex, and FCChumon databases.
- European CommissioncoreFPF submits comments to European Commission consultations on food contact materials regulations, including EU draft restriction on CMRs in childcare articles and Swiss ordinances on packaging and waste.
- UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)coreFPF engaged with FAO regarding their report on recycled plastic food contact materials, submitting a letter highlighting scientific concerns about framing, interpretation of science, and risk assessment approaches.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreFPF submitted comments to EPA's draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL6), supporting inclusion of microplastics and emphasizing precautionary principle for exposure reduction.
- DonorboxminorThird-party donation platform used for online credit/debit card donations. Supports Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, JCB, Diners Club, and PayPal.
- StripeminorPayment processor used for donation and payment processing on the website. Ensures secure credit/debit card transactions.
- International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN)coreFPF collaborates with IPEN on multinational reports covering phthalate and bisphenol pollution across 20 countries including Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, India, Kenya, and others.
- Partnership for Assessment of Risk from Chemicals (PARC)minorFPF encourages researchers working on regulatory challenges to connect with PARC. ECHA's regulatory challenge report directs researchers to PARC for collaboration.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Food Packaging Forum competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Foodwatch: European consumer advocacy nonprofit focused on food safety, transparency, and chemical concerns — adjacent to FPF's mission, though more consumer-campaign oriented and less database-driven.
- Safer Chemicals Healthy Families: U.S. coalition advocating for stronger chemical safety policy, including the Toxic Substances Control Act — comparable in operating model (nonprofit coalition working at the science-policy interface on chemical safety).
- Zero Waste Europe: European nonprofit working on packaging reuse and chemical safety in foodware — directly overlaps with FPF's reusable food packaging fact sheet work and reuse-symbol coverage.
- Center for Food Safety: U.S. nonprofit advocating for safe food systems, including food contact chemical issues — overlaps in mission and policy engagement style, though broader in scope (GEOs, pesticides, labeling).
Direct peers
- ChemSec: Swedish nonprofit that maintains chemical hazard lists (SIN List, PFAS Guide) and engages EU regulators on chemical restrictions — directly comparable to FPF's FCCprio prioritized phase-out list and ECHA engagement.
- Clean Production Action: U.S./Canada-based nonprofit developing science-based tools (GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals) for evaluating chemical hazards — overlaps with FPF in hazard prioritization methodology and policy engagement.
- CHEMTrust: UK/Europe-based charity focused on harmful chemicals and human health, producing science-based reports and briefings for policymakers — comparable in mission, audience, and evidence-communication model to FPF.
- International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN): Global NGO network producing scientific evidence on pollutants, including FPF's published phthalate/bisphenol reporting — a close peer and active FPF partner working at the same science-policy interface on chemicals of concern.
- Environmental Working Group (EWG): U.S. nonprofit that builds independent scientific databases (e.g., Skin Deep, Food Scores) and translates research into consumer, regulatory, and media-facing resources — closely comparable to FPF's model of free, science-based databases supporting public-health advocacy.
Broad incumbents
- European Environmental Bureau (EEB): Large federation of European environmental NGOs engaged in EU chemicals and food policy — comparable policy interface work and stakeholder convening role, though operating as an umbrella coalition rather than a focused research outfit.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Food Packaging Forum social profiles
Digital presenceFood Packaging Forum financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Food Packaging Forum leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Food Packaging Forum funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Food Packaging Forum M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Food Packaging Forum
What does Food Packaging Forum do?
Food Packaging Forum Foundation develops and freely disseminates interactive scientific databases, evidence maps, and educational resources on food contact chemicals and their health implications. Its core assets are six curated databases (FCCdb, FCCmigex, FCChumon, FCMiNo, FCCprio, BRID) and the Food Contact eXplorer tool, supported by peer-reviewed publications, monthly newsletters, and research projects. All resources are provided free to regulators, researchers, industry, media, and consumers worldwide.
Is Food Packaging Forum a public or private company?
Food Packaging Forum is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Food Packaging Forum founded?
Food Packaging Forum was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Food Packaging Forum based?
Food Packaging Forum is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Food Packaging Forum make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Support is the primary driver. The others are newsletter Subscription and website Content Access.
Who are Food Packaging Forum's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Foodwatch, Safer Chemicals Healthy Families, Zero Waste Europe and Center for Food Safety. Direct peers are ChemSec, Clean Production Action, CHEMTrust, International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) and Environmental Working Group (EWG). European Environmental Bureau (EEB) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Food Packaging Forum have an API?
No public API is recorded for Food Packaging Forum.
What industry is Food Packaging Forum in?
Food Packaging Forum's product category is Food Contact Chemicals Research and Science Communication. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAJAEAB, Food Standards, Labeling & Claims Regulation. Its NAICS code is 519.