Mar 28th, 2022
3 mins
The Food Standards Agency is calling for evidence on the safety of plastics which are recovered from the open environment and recycled for use as food contact material.
This call for evidence will be of most interest to:
- Plastic manufacturers
- Converters
- Retailers and interested parties
- Any business that is using or actively investigating the potential use in food contact material (FCM) products of recycled plastic, whose starting material is sourced from the open environment.
The call for evidence covers ‘ocean-bound’ plastics, as well as those sourced from the ocean or land. Plastic acquired from established municipal waste and recycling collection systems are considered to be out of scope.
An initial evaluation on ocean-bound plastic by the Joint Expert Group on Food Contact Materials (FCMJEG), which provides independent advice to the FSA, found that on the available evidence, it has not been possible to guarantee that the use of this material in food contact products is without risk – either in direct contact with food, or as a middle layer. Therefore, further evidence to inform a full comprehensive risk assessment is required.
The FSA is also keen to know how manufacturers and suppliers take into account material which is sourced from countries with different waste management infrastructures to the UK and EU, and where information on the previous use or misuse of the plastics is less certain.
The call for evidence can be found here.
Responses should be submitted to environmentalplastic@food.gov.uk by 6pm on Tuesday, 20 September 2022.
