The safety assessment of packaging materials poses an ongoing challenge for the industry. Not only in the food sector, but also for cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies – safety of the final product must be ensured. Latest developments in the fields of recycling and reuse of packaging made this challenge even more complex.
Thursday, 22 January 2026
Ceremonial hall H.-2.01
Favoritenstrasse 232
1100 Wien
Hochschule Campus Wien (HCW) will host an international symposium on current developments, advances and challenges in this field. Together with our long-time project partners from OFI, we organise an interdisciplinary exchange to identify the current state of the art as well as important questions in the field of packaging safety assessment in the near- and long-term future. Renowned experts from the field, scientists, industry representatives as well as students are invited to participate.
If you are interested in attending a free on-site workshop at OFI on 23 January 2026, please select the additional option "On-site workshop at OFI on 23 January 2026 (free of charge)"
Here is the preliminary information about the workshop:
Presentations and Discussions on the Outcome of Working Groups Addressing:
“Best Practices for Bioassay Testing of Food and other Complex Mixtures”
Date and Time: Friday January 23rd, 2026, from 9h00-13h00 followed by aperitif
Location: Franz-Grill-Straße 5, Objekt 213, 1030 Wien, Austria
Further information will be sent to you if you select the additional option and when the programme is finished.
Moderation:
Christian Kirchnawy, OFI
9.00 - 9.30:
9.30 - 9.45:
Silvia Apprich, HCW
Bernhard Rainer, HCW
9.45 - 10.10
Jonathan Briggs, European Commission
10.15 - 10.40
Marco Zhong, Director National reference laboratory for FCMs (Guangdong, IQTC)
10.45 - 11.10
Thomas Gude, Thomas Gude GmbH
11:15 – 11:45
Moderation:
Bernhard Rainer, HCW
11.45 - 12.10:
Peter Oldring, Sherwin Williams
12.15 - 12.40:
Charlene Lacourt, Danone
12.45 - 13.10:
Bastian Knaup, Tetrapak
13.15 - 14.30:
Moderation:
Christian Kirchnawy, OFI
14.30 - 14.55
Ulrich Eicken, Eicken Safe Cosmetics
15.00 - 15.25
Diana Kemmer, Fraunhofer IVV
15.30 - 15.55
Jim Huang, The Coca-Cola Company
16.00 - 16.30
Moderation:
Bernhard Rainer, HCW
16.30 - 16.55
Andreas Grabitz, FCM Experts
17.00 - 17.25
Elsa Omer, Nestlé
17.30 - 17.55
Christian Kirchnawy, OFI*
18.00 - 18.10
Bernhard Rainer, HCW
18.15 - 19.00
You can reach Hochschule Campus Wien (location Favoritenstrasse 226) by underground line U1 in the direction of Oberlaa (station Altes Landgut) or by bus line 15A (station Altes Landgut)
Google Maps direction
Please note that Hochschule Campus Wien cannot offer any parking spaces on their premises. The nearest parking lots are available at the Verteilerkreis and Generali-Arena and Park&Ride Neulaa.
Moderation
Dr. Elisabeth Pinter
Project Manager, OFI (Österreichisches Forschungsinstitut für Chemie und Technik)
09.30:
Doors open, breakfast and coffee
10.00:
Official Welcome and Program Overview
FH-Prof. Mag. Dr. Elisabeth Haslinger-Baumann
Vice Rector for Research and Developement, Hochschule Campus Wien
FH-Prof. DI Dr. Silvia Apprich
Head of Sustainable Management of Resources, Packaging Technology and Sustainability and Sustainable Packaging Technology, Hochschule Campus Wien
Dr. techn. Bernhard Rainer, MSc.
Academic Staff, Hochschule Campus Wien
10.15:
Keynote – Challenges of Packaging Safety Assessment
Dr. Elisa Mayrhofer
Microbiology & Cell Culture, OFI
Download CV (PDF, 78KB)
10.45:
Regulatory Perspective on NIAS in FCM
Dl Thomas Schwartz
Department for Consumer Goods and Cosmetics, Business Unit Food Safety, Institute for Food Safety Vienn
Download CV (PDF, 41KB)
11.15:
Current perspective of the ILSI expert group
Prof. Dr. Cristina Nerin
Professor of Analytical Chemistry, ILSI
Download CV (PDF, 701KB)
11.45:
Coffee Break
Moderation:
Christian Kirchnawy
Team Leader, OFI
12.00:
Perspective of the Food Industry and Analytical Ring Trial
Dr. Sander Koster
Group Leader Packaging Food Safety, Nestlé Research
12.30:
Chemical Analysis of NIAS
Claire McKillen MSc, C.Chem
Team Manager, Packaging Migration and MS Solutions at Fera Science Ltd
Downlaod CV (PDF,43 KB)
13.00:
Analysis of MOSH & MOAH in Packaging
Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. techn. Erich Leitner
Head of the Institute for Analytical Chemistry and Food Chemistry, TU Graz
Downlaod CV (PDF,56 KB)
13.30:
Lunch Break
Moderation:
Dr. Elisabeth Pinter
Project manager, OFI
14.30:
Physico-Chemical Analysis and in vitro Bioassays to Improve the Chemical Safety of Food Contact Articles
Dr. Isabella Severin
Researcher and Lecturer, AgroSup Dijon
Downlaod CV (PDF, 77,7KB)
15.00:
Packaging issues in the Zeitgeist: bioplastics, microplastics, and food safety
Dr. Lisa Zimmermann
Scientific Communication Officer, Food Packaging Forum
Downlaod CV (PDF,57 KB)
15.30:
Perspective of the Pharmaceutical Industry
Dr. Nina Macho, MSc.
Senior Scientist Toxicology & Pharmacology, Octapharma
Downlaod CV (PDF,49,6 KB)
16.00:
Coffee Break
Moderation:
Christian Kirchnawy
Team leader, OFI
16.15:
State of the Art and Regulation of Recycling for FCM
Dr. Frank Welle
Business Development Manager for Packaging, Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
Download CV (PDF, 62KB)
16.45:
Safety of Printing Inks in Recycling
Dr. Evert Delbanco
Director Food Safety + Toxicology, Siegwerk
Download CV (PDF, 39KB)
17.15:
Recycling of Polypropylene
Prof. Edward Kosior
Managing Director, Nextek
Download CV (PDF, 102KB)
17.45:
Short Break
18.00:
Wrap-up and Current Research Needs
Dr. techn. Bernhard Rainer, MSc.
FH Campus Wien
18.10:
Open Networking with Snacks & Drinks
20.00:
The event hall closes.
Moderation
Dr. Elisabeth Pinter (Download CV)
Project Manager, OFI (Österreichisches Forschungsinstitut für Chemie und Technik)
Dr. techn. Bernhard Rainer, MSc
Head Research Center Sustainability Assessment and Packaging Solutions
09.45:
Welcome and Event Opening
Dr. techn. Bernhard Rainer, MSc
Head Research Center Sustainability Assessment and Packaging Solutions
10.00:
Update on the implementation of FCM legislation
Dr. Bastiaan Schupp, Team leader FCM at European Commission
10.30:
ILSI Update
Prof. Dr. Cristina Nerín (Download CV)
University of Zaragoza
11.00:
BPA regulation, PFAS restriction and Silicone elastomers – Challenges for FCM to gain compliance
Prof. Dr. habil. Thomas J. Simat (Download CV)
11.30:
Coffee Break
Moderation
Dr. Elisabeth Pinter (Download CV)
Project Manager, OFI (Österreichisches Forschungsinstitut für Chemie und Technik)
12.00:
Identification of critical risk factors for the safety of recycled plastic
Christian Kirchnawy Download CV
OFI
12.30:
Towards food-grade recycling of plastic packages, understanding contamination pathways
Ulphard Thoden van Velzen Downlaod CV
Wageningen University & Research
13.00:
Legal requirements for different types of recycled materials for food contact by the FDA
Rachida Semail
Keller and Heckman
13.30:
Lunch Break
14.30:
Functional Barriers for Recycled Materials
Frank Welle Download CV
Fraunhofer IVV
15.00:
Brand owner’s perspective on PET recycling for Food contact applications in the EU.
Koen Weel, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Director Food Contact Materials, Coca Cola Europe (Download CV)
Moderation
Dr. Elisabeth Pinter (Download CV)
Project Manager, OFI (Österreichisches Forschungsinstitut für Chemie und Technik)
15.30:
Packaging coatings - particular challenges in compliance work
Ulrich Nehring
NEHRING Consultants GmbH
16.00:
Coffee Break
16.30:
2LabsToGo screening of mixtures for harmful compounds such as endocrine disruptors, cytotoxins, genotoxins and mutagens
Prof. Dr. Gertrud Morlock (Download CV)
Chair of Food Science, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen
17:00
The role of integrated approaches to tackle challenges to assess food contact materials hazards
Maricel Marian-Kuan, PhD (Download CV)
Senior in vitro toxicology scientist at Nestlé Research, Switzerland
17:30
Wrap-up and Conclusion
Dr. techn. Bernhard Rainer, MSc
Head Research Center Sustainability Assessment and Packaging Solutions
17:45
Buffet / Networking / Snacks and Drinks
18:00
Guided Tour – Hochschule Campus Wien and laboratories
