|  | Public Health Safety | Food Safety

FDA Plastic Regulations

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a public health agency responsible for ensuring the safety of food, drugs and cosmetics. To ensure consumer safety, the FDA regulates and inspects food and cosmetic preparation and packaging, as well as drug testing, development and packaging. Plastic is commonly used to package food, as well as in the manufacture of medical devices. Therefore, the FDA has several regulations for the use of plastic in such circumstances.

  1. Migratory Potential

    • Before a substance, such as a variety of plastic, can be used in food packaging or to make a medical device, the FDA must make sure it will not interact in a harmful way with food or the human body. Migratory potential is the ability of the substance to leech into the food or human organs it comes into contact with. Plastic must be tested for its migratory potential with the media it is meant to come in contact with. For packing material, this includes foods and drinks; for medical devices, this includes blood and other bodily fluids.

    Health Risk

    • Should it be determined that some plastic does transfer to the food it contains, it must be determined if this transfer is harmful to human health. Should the level of plastic be determined to be toxic or carcinogenic, it will be disallowed for packaging purposes. Additives placed in the plastic must be tested equally stringently.

    Recycled Plastic

    • The United States has placed an emphasis on the use of recycled materials, including plastic. This has lead the FDA to make a statement about the use of recycled plastic in food packaging materials. In order for the FDA to sanction the use of recycled plastic, it requires the manufacturer to provide a complete description of the recycling process and the sources of the plastic to be recycled. Only plastic that was initially deemed food grade may be recycled into new food packaging material. In addition, the manufacturer must demonstrate that the recycling process is able to remove any and all contaminants. This may involve migratory testing of the recycled product.

Food Safety - Related Articles