FSSAI Bans Use of Recycled Plastic or Newspaper for Packaging of Food Items From July 1, 2019
According to a report by Hindustan Times, the FSSAI has listed several new food packaging regulations which will soon be notified. The report further informs that the regulations will come into effect from 1st July 2019.
New Delhi, December 29: With an aim to put an end to the use of packaging material causing health risks, India’s top food safety regulator FSSAI has banned the use of plastic that is used in the packaging of food items. In its latest order, the FSSAI has prohibited the use of recycled plastic or newspaper and magazine pages which have been used in packaging several food items. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the FSSAI has listed several new food packaging regulations which will soon be notified. The report further informs that the regulations will come into effect from 1st July 2019. The new rules will replace the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011.
The move comes after a survey conducted by FSSAI showed that the unorganised sector was found to be making use of hazardous packaging material, for which, the regulator though, a strict step has to be taken. Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI was quoted in the report saying that the packaging of food regulations has been sent for publishing and will soon be rolled out and put into practice. He further added that packaging is an integral part of the process and FSSAI has framed regulations to address it and raise the bar for food safety in India.
The report states that taking into consideration the importance of food packaging and its impact on food safety, the packaging regulations have been separated from the labelling ones to ensure smooth implementation of the new rules. Apart from specific requirement for packaging material, the regulations also prescribe overall and specific migration limits of contaminants for plastic packaging materials.
Tamil Nadu is all set to ban the use of plastic items from 1st January 2019. In June this year, the state government had announced it would ban the use of plastic items, including non-biodegradable carry bags, from January 2019 to "gift a plastic-free" state to future generations. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami's had said in the state assembly that the ban on manufacture, sale, storage and usage of items such as plastic paper, cups, water sachets, straws and carry bags would come into effect from January 1, 2019. However, polythene sachets used for packing milk, curd, oil and medical equipment would be exempted from the ban.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 29, 2018 04:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).