By Ashwin Bhadri
The food safety and standards authority of India (FSSAI) has issued regulations connected to recycled plastic material as food contact material. The food authority in this regard has equipped a draft to amend the packaging materials.
As per the food safety and standards (packaging) amendment regulations, 2022, this draft will make a way for the use of recycled plastic, once it was notified in the gazette.
Under these mandates, products formed with the use of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) may be used for packaging, storing, carrying or dispensing of food products as and when standards and guidelines are notified by the Food Authority.
This provision will substitute the sub clause (e) pertaining to plastic materials considered to commence contact with food products, under the clause 4 relating to particular requirements for primary food packaging regulations.
As per the draft, the packaging materials shall also comply with any other national standards/regulations as applicable. Currently, FSSAI has initiated this draft related to the use of recycled plastics for the purpose of packaging by the food industry.
The guidelines relate to the recycling process of transforming post consumer PET bottles utilized for packaging of food grade recycled resins applicable for preparing bottles and packaging material for bottling or packaging and its testing. The guidelines also cover the acceptance criteria for using food upgraded recycled PET resin material in bottling or packaging operations.
The use of plastic was previously banned, but as per the newly notified draft, the use of recycled plastic is only for the food contact materials.
Guidelines are required for the use of recycled plastic for packaging of ready-to-eat food materials. This should include the source of the post-consumer plastic waste, the type of polymer that can be used, the nature of the food material that they can be used for packaging, the average time for which the plastic will be in contact with the food and finally, the temperature that the packaging material may be subjected to while still in contact with the food material.
Ashwin Bhadri is the CEO of EQUINOX LABS
