On February 18, 2013 EFSA approved the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling process “MOPET” (EC register number RECYC001), which recycles PET pellets for food contact applications (CEF, 2013). The evaluation was requested by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and evaluated by the Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF) panel in accordance with the criteria established by EFSA in 2011 (CEF, 2011).
In its scientific opinion the CEF panel concluded that the MOPET recycling process results in a modeled migration of below 0.1µg/kg food simulant and determined the solid state polymerization of used bottles and trays to be the most important decontamination step. The conclusion was based on two challenge tests, which resulted in a decontamination efficiency of more than 99.4%. The input of the recycling process shall contain no more than 5% of PET material from non-food consumer applications.
References
EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF). “Scientific Opinion on the safety evaluation of the process “MOPET” used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials.” EFSA journal 2013; 11(2):3094 [15pp].
EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF). “Scientific Opinion on the criteria to be used for safety evaluation of a mechanical recycling process to produce recycled PET intended to be used for manufacture of materials and articles in contact with food.” EFSA Journal 2011;9(7):2184. [25 pp.].
