Many food companies have made commitments to increase the use of recycled plastics in their packaging within the next 10 years. As this demand increases, there is more interest in chemical recycling, but first, we must understand current reprocessing capabilities and possible safety issues with the use of chemical recycled plastics in food packaging.

The European Union (EU) is currently evaluating its legislation on food contact materials (FCMs), which has identified safety concerns due to the lack of specific EU rules for most FCM types. This article takes a closer look at the status of these regulatory updates.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reviewing its requirements for printing ink components that are used for the noncontact side of food packaging.