A UN report is demanding stricter safety standards for recycled food packaging amid rising demand for sustainable options.
The paper, published by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN, has called for global discussion and robust internationally aligned benchmarks to safeguard against potential chemical contamination from recycled plastics used in food-contact packaging.
According to the FAO, environmental objectives must be pursued in parallel with health concerns stemming from potential chemical contamination and migration from food-contact materials (FCMs) into food.
The ‘Food Safety Implications of Recycled Plastics and Alternative Food Contact Materials’ report identified bio-based FCMs derived from natural and renewable resources such as corn, sugarcane, and cassava as a key area of concern, flagging pesticides, natural toxins or allergens as potential hazards.
It also found that even when FCMs are designed to facilitate recycling, specific chemical safety issues related to repeated food use (absorption of aroma compounds, flavours, and ingredients from food products into packaging materials) still need to be addressed before the recycled products can be reintroduced to the market.
Chemical cleaning and removal
To better mitigate these risks, the report called for the cleaning and removal of chemicals during the plastics recycling process.
It also suggested that suitable waste-stream control and sorting systems could separate food‑use plastics packaging materials before recycling.
Other concerns were raised around the use of new intentionally added substances, such as nanomaterials, to improve material performance or enable active packaging functions.
The report highlighted a lack of validated analytical methods to detect microplastics and nanoplastics in food and beverages, which had so far prevented regulatory agencies from determining a clear risk to human health.
It recommended additional research to supplement the ‘limited data’ on the occurrence, migration and health impacts of microplastics and nanoplastics, specifically in relation to recycling and plastics alternatives.
‘Significant data gaps’
‘This field is rapidly evolving, and significant data gaps remain on possible food‑safety implications,’ the report stated.
‘For micro- and nanoplastics, robust analytical methodologies for both quantification and particle identification will be crucial to advance food safety risk assessment and support the development of effective risk management strategies for these materials.’
Developing traceability systems and contaminant fingerprinting techniques may also help identify contamination sources in recycling streams, the report suggested.
The research also pointed to potential global trade issues arising from a lack of regulatory harmonisation.
Unified frameworks would not only support robust, science‑based risk assessments to ensure the safe production and use of recycled FCMs but also help achieve current and future international objectives for reducing plastics waste, the report added.
Food safety at the core
“We want to recycle more plastics, but we also want to make sure that by solving one problem we don’t create new problems,” said Corinna Hawkes, director of the agrifood systems and food safety division at the FAO.
“Food safety must be a central consideration in the transition towards more sustainable agrifood systems and food consumption patterns.”
The findings are expected to inform discussions at the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an intergovernmental body established in 1963 by FAO and the World Health Organisation to develop international food standards, guidelines and codes to ensure food safety and facilitate trade.
The report comes amid a steady rise in the global food packaging market – estimated at $505.27 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $815.51bn by 2030.
