On November 18, 2015 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a scientific opinion on the post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling process ‘General Plastic’. The process uses washed and dried PET flakes from post-consumer PET bottles containing no more than 5% PET from non-food consumer applications. The PET flakes are extruded into pellets, crystallized and then subject to solid-state polycondensation. Based on the information provided by the applicant and conducted challenge tests, EFSA’s Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF Panel) concluded that the process is not sufficiently characterized and has not been shown to ensure reduction of contamination to a level that does not pose a risk to human health.
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CEF (November 18, 2015). “Scientific Opinion on the safety assessment of the process ‘General Plastic’ used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials.”
