FAO calls for stricter safety checks for recycled plastics in food packaging

A report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN has urged a robust risk assessment into the use of recycled plastic in food contact packaging to mitigate the risk of chemical contamination. 

The packaging industry is increasingly adopting recycled content solutions due to the environmental concerns of virgin plastic as well as a shortage in supply. 

However, FAO argues that the environmental objectives of recycled content use must be pursued in parallel with research into the migration of certain chemicals from food contact materials (FCM) into food, and subsequent health impacts.

Corinna Hawkes, director of the Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division at FAO, says: “We want to recycle more plastic, but we also want to make sure that by solving one problem we don’t create new problems.”

Chemicals of concern in recycled plastic, outlined in Food safety implications of recycled plastics and alternative food contact materials, include feedstock hazards like pesticides, natural toxins, or allergens, as well as bio-based FCMs derived from corn, sugarcane, and cassava.

The report also highlights that intentionally added substances, such as nanomaterials — which are added to improve material performance — also require evaluation. 

Hawkes adds: “Food safety must be a central consideration in the transition toward more sustainable agri-food systems and food consumption patterns.”

Global regulations 

To combat these potential chemical risks, FAO calls for the cleaning and removal of chemicals during the plastic recycling processes. It also explains that waste stream control and sorting systems can separate food-use plastic packaging materials before recycling. 

“Addressing rising public concern about exposure to micro- and nanoplastics in food and beverages requires validated analytical methods for their detection and identification. The current lack of such methods has so far prevented regulatory agencies from determining a clear risk to human health,” says the report. 

The report’s findings will inform the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an intergovernmental body established by FAO and the World Health Organization to create international food standards, guidelines, and codes to ensure food safety and facilitate trade. 

FAO explains that the report has illuminated the need for harmonized global regulations to assess the use of recycled plastic as FCMs. 

It concludes: “Harmonizing global regulatory frameworks would not only support robust, science‑based risk assessments to ensure the safe production and use of recycled FCMs, but would also contribute to achieving current and future international objectives for reducing plastic waste.”

Recently, Boxon, a global packaging solutions provider, launched a generation of rPET Big Bags made from recycled PET bottles. The bags are designed for food, chemical, and other industrial applications. They are reportedly the first recycled Big Bags approved for direct food contact.