After submitting an application for authorisation to the secretariat of the Dutch Committee for safety assessment of food contact materials (CBVV), the applicant will receive a confirmation of receipt. Within two weeks of receiving an application, the secretariat will check whether the submitted dossier is complete, upon which the applicant will be informed that the information submitted is either

• complete and, as such, eligible for assessment by the CBVV,
  or
• incomplete and that lacking information must be submitted before the dossier is eligible for assessment.

The CBVV will need a minimum of six months to assess an application. A draft assessment will then be prepared and presented to the committee members for discussion in a meeting. If necessary, an applicant may be asked for additional information.

The CBVV will use the information in the dossier and any additional information to assess whether it is safe to use the substance in question in food contact materials. The outcome of the safety assessment is presented in an opinion document. After approval, the opinion will be published on the website.

The Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport will use the opinion as the basis for its decision on whether or not to include the substance into the Annex to the Dutch Commodities Act Regulation on packaging and consumer articles. [Please note that only the Dutch version has legal value and that no rights can be derived from the English translation]