The IAFNS Packaging Safety & Sustainability committee works to expand scientific knowledge on toxicology, exposure and risk assessment of food packaging substances and potential contaminants. The committee also works to identify and resolve barriers to adoption of safe, recycled packaging in support of a more sustainable food supply.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Abbott Nutrition
Conagra Brands
General Mills, Inc.
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ACADEMIC ADVISORS
Keith Vorst, PhD, Iowa State University
Kay Cooksey, PhD, Clemson University
GOVERNMENT ADVISORS
Sean Fischer, PhD, FDA CFSAN
Kevin D. Smith, US Marine Corps (ret)
Research projects:
Despite significant advances in recycling science there remain hurdles to the broad utilization of recycled plastics including the availability of reliable and predictable sources of safe post-consumer material. This project will generate an in-depth survey of the plastic recycling landscape and identify safety issues and potential solutions to enable wide-scale production and adoption of recycled plastic. The project will leverage current frameworks for PET recovery and recycling to identify gaps and solutions for olefin recovery, recycling, and safety for food and beverage packaging. Results will also identify restricted and non-intentional added substances in recycled plastic along with mitigation options, and survey domestic and international recycling requirements such as certification rules and regulations pertaining to “clean” recycled plastic.
Conferences & Symposiums:
Roundtable on Sustainable Food Packaging
February 22, 2023, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
The Food Packaging Safety and Sustainability committee is hosting a virtual roundtable on sustainable food packaging. This event will bring together stakeholders and technical experts from food companies, retailers, packaging manufacturers, academic institutions, and government regulators to share sustainability initiatives and goals. The expected outcome is to identify and prioritize areas where IAFNS supported science can drive progress in meeting sustainability goals.
To learn more about this invitation-only event, please email science@iafns.org.
Projects Supported by the Committee:
Publications
Oldest to Newest
Suitability of Material Recovery Facility-Recovered Post-Consumer Polypropylene Applications in Extrusion Blow Molded Bottle Food Packaging
Polymers, 2023
Global Plastic Waste Recycling and Extended Producer Responsibility Laws
Journal of Environmental Management, 2023
Extended producer responsibility systems can improve recycling rates with high quality.
Read more about Global Plastic Waste Recycling and Extended Producer Responsibility Laws
Understanding intentionally and non-intentionally added substances and associated Threshold of Toxicological Concern in post-consumer polyolefin for use as food packaging
Heliyon, 2024
This study identifies potentially harmful substances in polyolefin samples from material recovery facilities using gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry.
Events
No results.