Commission: New rules for the safety of recycled plastics intended for food packaging

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According to a Commission announcement, the new regulation will set clear rules to ensure that recycled plastic can be used safely in food packaging in the EU

The European Commission has today approved new rules for the safety of recycled plastic materials and articles intended for food packaging.

According to a Commission announcement, the new regulation will set clear rules to ensure that recycled plastic can be used safely in food packaging in the EU.

It will contribute to increasing the overall sustainability of the food system and achieving the objectives of the Circular Economy Action Plan.

European Green Deal Vice-President Frans Timmermans said: “To reduce our dependence on primary raw materials and build a fully circular economy, we need to strengthen the market for recycled plastics and significantly reduce plastic waste in the food and beverage sector. beyond. Plastics are useful for preserving food, but their use must be sustainable. Today’s new rules allow food manufacturers to use more recycled plastics in food packaging. This is an important step towards the safe and sustainable use of recycled plastics in the food sector.”

For her part, Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakidou said: “The EU needs new rules to produce safe recycled plastics that food businesses and consumers can trust. As around 50% of all plastic packaging in the EU is used for food products, we need to ensure that this sector can transition to a more sustainable food production safely and efficiently – using more recycled plastics is key to achieving this. »

The new regulation makes it possible to approve recycling processes for the manufacture of safe recycled plastic materials for use in food packaging. It will also help the recycling industry to create suitable ways to recycle plastics that currently cannot be recycled into food packaging. In addition, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will have a clearer basis for assessing the suitability of recycling technologies and the safety of recycled plastic in food packaging manufactured by processes using these technologies.

RES-EMP

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