India: Recycled plastic allowed for food contact

According to the Times of India, on September 17, 2021, India revised their plastic waste management rules to allow the use of recycled plastics in food contact materials (FCM)
.
Under the amendment, recycled plastic "may be used to store, carry, distribute or package ready-to-eat or drink food" as long as it follows the standards set out in the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, which falls under the Food Safety and Standards Act " category
.
The change became effective 6 days after the notice was issued
.

The Food Safety and Standards Agency of India banned the use of recycled plastics in food contact in 2016
.
According to the Times of India, the recent changes "stunned experts and environmental activists"
.
They quoted Vijay Habbu of the Institute of Chemical Technology as saying that every time a plastic product is recycled, "there is some degradation of the plastic, which creates contaminants or impurities
.
In most cases, these contaminants are not even known
.
Therefore, There is no reliable test method to detect and identify impurities that could pose a serious threat to human life and the environment
.
"

Previous studies of FCM and other consumer products made from recycled plastic have found that they contain high doses of pollutants, including pesticides, rare earth elements, flame retardants and other substances
.
Other reports have highlighted that removing worrisome chemicals from plastic waste is critical to scaling up plastic recycling, and some organisations have issued guidelines for creating safer plastic recycling programmes (FPF report)
.
The United Nations Development Programme for India and Indian policy think tank NITI Aayog recently published a handbook on sustainable urban plastic waste management in India
.