PPWR Protests, Beta-alanine and Swiss Nutritional Data

Microenterprises organise against EPR burdens, BfR assesses beta-alanine, and Switzerland updates its nutritional data

Europe’s microenterprises are organising opposition to the PPWR’s cross-border EPR obligations. BfR has published a new risk assessment of beta-alanine, while Switzerland is expanding its data foundation for nutritional calculations.

PPWR: Microenterprises Organise against the EPR Burden

Small online retailers’ criticism of cross-border EPR obligations under the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is taking an organised form. A petition opposing the burden on microenterprises had attracted more than 70,000 supporters by 24 August. According to Euractiv, the public consultation on registration and reporting formats received more than 5,000 responses in its first two weeks. The initiative is now developing into the European Micro Enterprises Movement, which intends to press Member States and the European Parliament for a broader exemption for microenterprises [1].

The focus is on registrations, fees and extended producer responsibility schemes that remain national. Under the current wording of Article 45(3), businesses selling packaged goods directly to end users across borders generally also have to appoint an EPR authorised representative in each destination state. The PPWR contains no general turnover or de minimis threshold for these obligations. Particularly where only a few shipments are sent to numerous Member States, the administrative burden may therefore be disproportionate to the revenue generated in each market.

The Commission has already proposed suspending the obligation for EU-established producers to appoint national EPR authorised representatives until 1 January 2035. The proposal is in the legislative process; registrations, scheme participation and the currently applicable representative obligations remain relevant until an amendment is adopted [2]. Microenterprises also seek relief from fragmented registration and national fees. The debate is therefore shifting from one formal obligation to the broader question of proportionate cross-border EPR compliance for small packaging volumes.

Beta-alanine: Guidance on Intake, Not a New Maximum Limit

On 19 August 2026, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment published its assessment of isolated beta-alanine in food supplements and fortified foods. In BfR’s view, the available human data are insufficient to derive a safe intake level. The authority identifies transient paraesthesia, such as tingling, prickling or a sensation of heat, as the main adverse effect. For healthy adults, it considers the risk very low at single doses below 400 milligrams. Several single doses below this threshold, spread throughout the day, are also assessed as low risk provided total intake remains below 1.2 grams per day [3].

These figures are not statutory maximum amounts. They form part of a national risk assessment with clearly identified data gaps. BfR recommends limiting consumption to less than twelve weeks. In its view, children and adolescents, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people aged 65 or over should be advised not to take the product through a clear label statement. For powders, the authority recommends a suitable measuring device so that the intended single dose can be followed in practice [3].

For manufacturers, the new information lies less in an individual number than in the connection between formulation, portioning and instructions for use. Products containing several grams of beta-alanine per portion cannot be assessed solely on the basis of a lower recommended daily intake if the actual single dose is well above the range described by BfR. Dividing intake across several occasions must also be realistically achievable through the product format, measuring device and labelling. Existing products should therefore be assessed against the actual consumption unit, not only the daily dose.

The assessment also increases the evidential burden for long-term use and communication aimed at broad target groups. Almost all available intervention studies concern young, healthy and predominantly male adults; rare, cumulative and long-term effects have not been adequately captured. BfR reports no robust data for consumption lasting more than 24 weeks and expressly frames its shorter recommended period as a precautionary measure [3]. Product approval decisions must therefore continue to distinguish scientific guidance, authority recommendations and binding law.

Switzerland: Food Composition Database Version 7.1 Changes the Reference Basis

On 19 August, Switzerland’s Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office highlighted version 7.1 of the Swiss Food Composition Database. Niacin equivalents are now published; additions include 27 generic foods, expanded selenium and fatty acid values, and further retention factors for certain preparation methods. Recipes and datasets for biscuits, cakes, gateaux and loaf cakes have been reviewed and updated where necessary [4][5]. The current database contains 1,246 foods and makes the datasets available free of charge for commercial and scientific use [5].

Version control is crucial for development and regulatory work. Where a formulation or labelling system uses generic reference values, changes to the underlying data can alter calculation results even if the product formulation remains unchanged. For composite bakery products in particular, new recipe models and retention factors affect derived micronutrient values. The newly reported niacin equivalents also extend internal assessment of total niacin provision from different precursors.

The database remains a reference collection for foods available in Switzerland. Generic values do not automatically establish the composition of a specific product. For specifications, labelling and nutrition-related communication, the data source, calculation method and relationship to the product must therefore remain clearly distinguishable. Anyone using the Swiss datasets in software or their own master data should document version 7.1 and avoid allowing changes to enter previously approved calculations unnoticed.

Wishing you a pleasant day, Andreas Gebhart

Sources

All sources last checked and accessed on 24 August 2026.

• Euractiv: Small Companies Rising Up against New EU Packaging Rules, 24 August 2026.
• European Commission: COM(2025) 982.
• BfR: Beta-alanine in Food Supplements and Fortified Foods, Opinion No 046/2026, 19 August 2026.
• FSVO: Update to the Swiss Food Composition Database 2026, 19 August 2026.
• Swiss Food Composition Database: Versions and Updates, Version 7.1.

Note: These updates provide technical context and do not replace legal, toxicological or product-specific assessment of an individual case. Image: AI-generated.