New Delhi, Jan 4 (KNN) To raise the bar for food safety in the country, the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has come out with new packaging regulations which prohibits packaging material made of recycled plastics including carry bags for packaging, storing, carrying or dispensing articles of food.

These regulations prohibit re-use of tin containers for packaging of food, containers which are rusty and copper or brass containers which are not properly tinned.

The regulations also prescribe overall migration and specific migration limits of contaminants for plastic packaging materials.

The regulations specify the suggestive list of packaging materials for different food product categories.

As per these regulations, the packaging materials used for packing or storing the food products shall conform to the Indian Standards provided in the schedules.

Further, taking cognizance of the carcinogenic effect of inks and dyes, these regulations also prohibits the use of newspaper and such other materials for packing or wrapping of food articles and includes respective Indian standard for printing inks for use on food packages.

In a statement, CEO, FSSAI, Pawan Agarwal pointed “The new packaging regulations would raise the bar of food safety in India to the next level.”

He pointed out that there would be difficulties in implementation of these regulations particularly as far as they relate to the loose packaging materials and to the unorganised sector. Thus, sufficient lead time has been given before the regulations come into force.

The food businesses shall have to comply with these regulations by July 1, 2019, he added.

He said that stakeholder’s consultation and mass awareness building amongst consumers and food businesses would precede implementation of the new packaging regulations.

FSSAI new regulations replace all provisions w.r.t. packaging requirements prescribed in the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011.

Recognizing the importance of packaging in the food sector and its impact on food safety, FSSAI has separated the packaging regulations from the labelling regulations.

And also separate ‘Scientific Panel’ for food packaging is planned, according to FSSAI release.

The objective behind these new packaging regulations is to protect the food contents from microbiological, chemical, physical and atmospheric contamination and preserve the food and thereby protect consumer’s health.

In its release, FSSAI said “Good packaging ensures that there is no change in sensory properties or composition of food when packed.”

Packaging is essential and critical for promoting food safety, extended shelf-life and thereby enhancing food security, it added.

These regulations address all concerns that came out of the two studies conducted by FSSAI recently through the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), Mumbai and the National Test House (NTH), Kolkata, said FSSAI.

These two studies had shown that the packaging material used by the organised sector is largely safe.