South Africa: Recycled Plastics for Food Use Require Stronger Safeguards, Warn UN Food Security Experts
The FAO says recycled food packaging can cut waste if recycling systems are tightly controlled and contaminants are removed before materials reach food.
- The FAO warns that recycled plastics and alternative packaging can reduce waste, but only if recycling systems are carefully managed to prevent harmful chemicals migrating into food.
- With the packaging sector projected to grow from $505 billion to over $815 billion by 2030, less than 10 per cent of global plastic waste is currently recycled, fueling environmental concerns.
- Recycled plastics can contain higher levels of contaminants like metals and flame retardants than new materials, while scientists struggle to consistently detect microplastics in food to assess health risks.
- Ongoing discussions within the Codex Alimentarius Commission highlight a global need for regulatory harmonization of FCMs, while the European Union mandates recycled materials meet the same safety standards as new plastics.
- Vittorio Fattori, a food security officer at the FAO, emphasizes that well-controlled recycling processes are fundamental, warning that alternative protein-based materials also lack sufficient long-term safety data.
16 Articles
16 Articles
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has issued an international warning about the risks associated with recycled plastics in food, especially in containers and materials used within the food industry. The agency believes that the growing commitment to the circular economy and sustainable materials cannot move forward without stricter controls to ensure the health safety of consumers. Chemical pollution from toxic su…
South Africa: Recycled Plastics for Food Use Require Stronger Safeguards, Warn UN Food Security Experts
Recycled plastics could help reduce the world's growing waste crisis, but only if food packaging is carefully regulated to prevent contamination, according to a new analysis from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Recycled food-contact materials need regulatory harmonization, UN report says - Dining and Cooking
Listen to the article 3 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Dive Brief: The United Nations’ food organization addressed a contentious packaging issue in a new report Wednesday: While recycled plastic in food packaging offers certain environmental benefits, it also brings chemical safety concerns, the Food and Agriculture Organization [...]
The UN's FAO warns of the risks of recycled plastic in food packaging and is pushing for global standards to prevent chemical contamination of food. Read here
Photo: © Unsplash / Simon Weisser Recycling is one of the big stakes in tackling the global plastic waste crisis. But when these materials are reused for food packaging, the solution demands a key condition: ensuring that they do not transfer new chemical risks to what we eat. Geneva, Switzerland.- A new analysis by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warns that recycled plastics and alternative packaging materials …
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