Recycling plastic food packaging could present chemical health concerns, researchers warn

25 May 2023 --- The study titled “Unpacking the complexity of the polyethylene food contact articles value chain: A chemicals perspective” flags that the recycling processes of PE may introduce unknown or dangerous chemicals that could transfer from recycled packaging into the food it contains, creating safety concerns.

The researchers used a systematic evidence map of 116 studies looking at the migration of FCCs across the lifecycle of PE food packaging. The study identified out of 377 food contact chemicals (FCCs), 211 migrated from PE food packaging into food or food simulants. Due to its processability and barrier properties, PE is the most widely used type of plastic for food packaging.

“The impact imminent from this work is the need for the industry to work with regulators to better understand the safety aspects of PE used in food contact materials to promote a sustainable and safe plastics value chain,” Eleni Iacovidou, researcher and senior lecturer in environmental management at Brunel University London, UK, tells PackagingInsights. 

“We are not criminalizing plastics and their usefulness as packaging materials. We only shed light on the need to ensure that these are fit for purpose and safe for humans across their lifecycle, including the stage where these are reprocessed as secondary materials that are used in new food contact materials production.”

The study finds harmful chemicals from recycled food PE packaging can be leaked into food. Human health concerns
Iacovidou reveals that the number of non-authorized chemicals found in the study was “unexpectedly high.” 

“This finding highlights the lack of data traceability and sufficient harmonization of existing regulations. This effectively highlights the need for political tenacity and strategic direction and innovation to monitor the quality of plastic food contact materials across the entire value chain,” she says.

The researchers warn against introducing the proposed revisions to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, which could increase the use of recycled content in packaging for all the EU member states. 

“Increasing the recycled content in food contact materials (FCMs) such as plastic packaging may pose a safety challenge that needs urgent attention because recycling processes may introduce hazardous chemicals that can potentially migrate from recycled FCMs into food,” reads the study. 

FCMs represent a relevant pathway of chronic human exposure to substances of high concern arising from chemical migration into packaged and processed foods, such as phthalates from pastry and plastic food packaging and bisphenol-A from PET bottles. 

Many of the FCCs identified are phthalates, considered to be endocrine disruptors – which interfere with the body’s hormones – and are therefore hazardous to the environment and human health.

“Considering the EU’s commitment to increase packaging recycling, a better understanding and monitoring of PE food packaging quality from a chemical perspective across the entire lifecycle will enable the transition toward a sustainable plastics value chain,” adds the study.

High-quantity of PEResearchers assert that more investigation is needed to understand the health effects of recycled PE packaging before legislation is enacted. 
According to the report, global plastic production was estimated at 390.7 million metric tons in 2021, seeing an annual increase of 4% due to the increasing demand for plastic packaging in Europe and North America, with expectations to reach 124 metric tons by 2027. 

The 211 FCCs were checked against the inventory databases and EU regulatory lists. Over a quarter of the investigated chemicals are not included in the EU’s inventory databases and lists. 

Additionally, only 25% of the detected FCCs are authorized by EU regulation to manufacture food contact materials. 

Eighty of the 211 FCCs have been detected to migrate into food by 39 studies and 175 of 211 FCCs have been seen to migrate into food simulants by 80 studies.

More research for intervention
Overall, the researchers say that the evidence on FCCs migration across the PE food packaging lifecycle is incomplete, especially at the reprocessing stage. “The implications of using and recycling PE from a chemical perspective remain underexplored,” they say.

The currently insufficient evidence for PE-FCMs hinders the researcher’s ability to identify the right intervention points in the PE value chain. This emphasizes the criticality of further research on FCCs migration from specific, well-characterized PE articles, especially those collected for recycling. 

A reduction in the volumes of PE-FCMs produced and the adoption of safe and sustainable design practices at the design and production stage would be a good starting point to enable the transition to a sustainable and circular plastics value chain, according to the study.

“Shedding light on the migration potential of such chemicals points to the need for understanding and monitoring the quality of PE food packaging in compliance with sustainable and safe design criteria. This will illuminate gaps in the regulatory framework and help to build a robust and up-to-date policy for FCCs in plastic packaging,” say the researchers. 

“Instead of industry and regulators taking a defensive stance, it would be great to see the desire and willingness to address such issues. This is the aim of the study,” adds Iacovidou. 

By Sabine Waldeck