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Recent and emerging food packaging alternatives: Chemical safety risks, current regulations, and analytical challenges
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Researchers reviewed chemical safety risks associated with emerging food packaging alternatives—including bio-based, recycled, and active materials—finding that novel materials often introduce unstudied migrant chemicals, with current regulatory frameworks lagging behind rapid innovation in packaging technology.
Food contact materials should not release their constituent substances into food at levels harmful to human health nor change the food composition, taste, or odor unacceptably. The historical evolution of food packaging shows that the use of plastics has increased dramatically, because of its convenience, lightweight, and cost effectiveness, but carries a significant environmental impact. Influenced by trends such as growing awareness of the environmental footprint and stricter safety requirements, conventional packaging is now progressively evolving toward new alternatives. All stakeholders in the agrifood system are involved in the journey to transform food packaging to more sustainable alternatives, while maintaining the important functionalities of suitable food packaging. The current most promising food packaging alternatives are presented in this review with their benefits, limitations, and associated potential safety hazards, with a focus on chemical hazards. Although some potential hazards are common to conventional packaging, others are specific to the new alternatives. Identification of potential chemical hazards associated with these new packaging alternatives is important to anticipate any risks posed to consumer safety. With much diversity in packaging types and rules aimed at ensuring safety drastically varying between jurisdictions, it is not always easy to determine the best way to assess the safety of food packaging. International guidance on principles for safe food packaging could help drive global harmonization and would play a crucial role in ensuring a consistent and science-based framework for the safety and compliance of new and emerging food packaging.
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This review examines how food packaging made with PFAS ("forever chemicals") and conventional plastics can release harmful microplastics and chemicals into the food we eat. The study highlights promising bio-based alternatives made from plant-derived materials that could replace these hazardous packaging materials and reduce our daily exposure to microplastics through food.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.