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FAO report calls for robust risk assessment for recycled plastic food packaging
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Friday, 15 May, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Rome, Italy
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The growing use of recycled plastic in food packaging and other food contact materials offers clear environmental benefits but also raises crucial chemical safety concerns that underscore the need for discussion on globally harmonised standards, according to a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The report titled Food safety implications of recycled plastics and alternative food contact materials, comes amid a steady rise in the global food packaging market - estimated at $505.27 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $815.51 billion by 2030.
Snacks, ready-made meals, fast food, confectionery, and bottled beverages illustrate how shifting consumption patterns and lifestyle changes are fuelling demand for food packaging.
Food contact materials (FCMs) play an important role in reducing food loss and waste by extending shelf life and protecting food quality, thereby helping to lower production costs, improve agrifood systems efficiency, support food security and nutrition, and contribute to environmental sustainability.
However, the widespread use of plastic-based FCMs with long environmental half-lives is contributing to a global plastic waste epidemic, prompting a gradual shift to recycled plastics.
While less than 10 percent of plastic waste generated globally has been recycled so far, this share is expected to grow for sustainability reasons, raising important food chemical safety questions.
The report argues that environmental objectives must be pursued in parallel with health concerns stemming from potential chemical contamination and migration from FCMs into food.
Corinna Hawkes, director of the Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division at FAO, said, "We want to recycle more plastic, but we also want to make sure that by solving one problem we don't create new problems. Food safety must be a central consideration in the transition towards more sustainable agrifood systems and food consumption patterns."
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