South Korea proposes amendments to Utensil, Container, and Packaging

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Cute happy asian baby sucking nipple pacifier laying on sofa, 5 months after birth

Vol. 1526 | 16 Feb 2026

Korea's MFDS Announcement No. 2026-008 proposed to extend rubber nipple standards to infant/toddler rubber products with no limit changes, including ≤0.5% volatilization, 10 mg/kg lead/cadmium, and strict nitrosamine migration limits; effective post-promulgation.

The Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has issued Announcement No. 2026-008 proposed to amend the Standards and specifications of Utensil, container, and packaging for consultation. This notice will be effective on the date of promulgation after approval. The proposed amendments are as follows:

In this notice, expanded the scope of rubber-based infants and toddlers’ products, and it is not only limited to rubber nipples. Even so, there has been no change in the limits of chemical substances compared to the previous requirements in MFDS Notice No.2024-29. Here is the comparison table for the amendments:

	Current requirements	Proposed Amendments
Requirement	The total volatilization of the rubber nipples shall be 0.5% or less.	The total volatilization of the rubber products for infants and toddlers shall be 0.5% or less.
Residual specification
Substances	Effective Standard at present: MFDS Notice No. 2024-29 (in Section III, Clause 3b)	Proposed Amendments: MFDS Announcement No.2026-008 (in Section V, Clause 3b)
Lead	≤ 100 mg/kg (rubber other than rubber nipples) ≤ 10 mg/kg (rubber nipples)	≤ 100 mg/kg ≤ 10 mg/kg (rubber products for infants and toddlers)
Cadmium	≤ 100 mg/kg (rubber other than rubber nipples) ≤ 10 mg/kg (rubber nipples)	≤ 100 mg/kg ≤ 10 mg/kg (rubber products for infants and toddlers)
2-mercaptoimidazoline	Not detected (rubber containing chlorine)	Not detected (rubber containing chlorine)
1,3-butadiene	≤ 1 mg/kg (rubber containing 50% or more of 1,3-butadiene in base polymer)	≤ 1 mg/kg (rubber containing 50% or more of 1,3-butadiene in base polymer)
Migration specification
Substances	Effective Standard at present: MFDS Notice No. 2024-29 (in Section III, Clause 3c)	Proposed Amendments: MFDS Announcement No.2026-008 (in Section V, Clause 3c)
Lead	≤ 1 mg/L	≤ 1 mg/L
Overall migration	≤ 60 mg/L (rubber) ≤ 40 mg/L (rubber nipples)	≤ 60 mg/L ≤ 40 mg/L (rubber products for infants and toddlers)
Phenol	≤ 5 mg/L	≤ 5 mg/L
Formaldehyde	≤ 4 mg/L	≤ 4 mg/L
Zinc	≤ 15 mg/L (rubber) ≤ 1 mg/L (rubber nipples)	≤ 15 mg/L (rubber) ≤ 1 mg/L (rubber products for infants and toddlers)
Nitrosamines	≤ 0.01 mg/kg (rubber nipples)	≤ 0.01 mg/kg (rubber products for infants and toddlers)
Nitrosatable substances	≤ 0.1 mg/kg (rubber nipples)	≤ 0.1 mg/kg (rubber products for infants and toddlers)

If you have any questions, please contact:

Carl Tso

Assistant Manager - Regulatory, Hardlines

Carl is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in the toy and hardline industries. Throughout his career, he has developed extensive expertise in navigating global regulatory frameworks, ensuring compliance across diverse markets, including the European Union, the United States, Southeast Asia, South America, and beyond.

Email: carl.tso@intertek.com

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