India Notifies WTO Committee Regarding New Draft Food Packaging Regulations
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) regarding new Proposed Draft Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations. FSSAI asked that WTO Member Countries send objections or suggestions regarding the draft proposal to spstbt.enqpt@fssai.gov.in within sixty days of the Notification, which was issued on November 6, 2017.
The draft food packaging regulations include specific requirements for food-contact paper and paperboard materials, metal and metal alloys, plastics, and glass containers. The proposed requirements for plastic food-contact materials lists 17 unique Indian Standards (IS) for individual types of plastics. The current regulations, in contrast, only contain 10 IS for plastic packaging materials. The draft regulations also specify a new overall migration limit (OML) of 60 mg/kg or 10 mg/dm2 for plastic packaging materials, and prohibit any visible color migration.