In January 2022, the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) revised its website with an updated standard for “fluoropolymer coated utensils in contact with food.” According to TISI, “this industrial product standard covers only utensils made of metal and the surface directly contacts hot food.” The standard follows the test methods for overall migration at high temperatures outlined in EU directive 2002/72/EC relating to plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs.
TISI originally announced the update in the Thai Royal Gazette in July 2022 and officially informed the World Trade Organization (WTO) of the proposed change in November 2022. The new standard will go into force on April 2, 2023.
On January 5, 2023, TISI submitted two other notifications to the WTO concerning plastic bags for food. The first “specifies safety requirements for substances in material, marking and labeling, and criteria for testing” The new standard will only cover “plastic bags for food made from virgin resin as single layer plastic film.” While the second is specific to microwavable bags in direct food contact at temperatures above 80°C. WTO members can comment until March 6, 2023.
In other packaging news, according to the Bangkok Post Thailand’s ministries of Industry and Finance have started a new corporate income tax program “to encourage businesses to use more biodegradable plastic products, in a move to reduce waste.” The program reimburses approximately 25% of the cost of purchasing “biodegradable plastic products from manufacturers certified by the Industry Ministry” through a tax rebate. Most certified products so far are some form of plastic garbage or shopping bag.
Researchers investigating the fate of plastics in the environment have advised that biodegradable plastics should not be seen as a silver-bullet solution for inappropriate waste management of plastic littering since biodegradation in the open environment is unclear. It was recommended to only use biodegradables for limited applications (FPF reported and here). The Food Packaging Forum has a factsheet on bioplastics addressing common questions and mix-ups.
References
TISI (2023). “TIS 2622-2556 (2013) Fluoropolymer coated metal utensils for food (Effective date 2 Apr. 23).” (in Thai)
WTO (November 2, 2022). “The Ministerial Regulation on Fluoro Polymer Coated Utensils in contact with Food (TIS 2622-2556(2013)).”
Lamonphet Apisitniran (January 10, 2023). “Tax incentives to encourage reduction in plastic usage.” Bangkok Post
Read more
Food Packaging Forum (2022). “Bioplastics Factsheet.” (pdf)
