New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has revealed new data that shows common food packaging materials such as plastic and paper pose no threat to food safety.
The study included 74 different packaged and takeaway foods, analysing the transfer of chemicals from various food packaging types onto foods and the associated risks towards public health.
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MPI Food Risk Assessment acting manager Dr Andrew Pearson said: “We then looked at the data and carried out a thorough risk assessment.
“As a result, we have found that while there were occasional cases where chemicals from food packaging materials transferred onto food, this occurred at low levels and there are no food safety risks for consumers.
“Consumers are increasingly wanting to know more about what’s in their food, so studies like this help provide consumers with assurance that what they’re eating is safe.”
He also stated that as a regulator of food safety, the ministry will continue to monitor all possible risks that may arise from food packaging and test for potential hazards in food.
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By GlobalDataMPI’s initiative is a part of the wider programme undertaken by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) agency to assess health and safety concerns regarding the use of chemicals in food packaging and the effectiveness of current regulations.
The programme concluded that no regulatory changes are required in New Zealand or Australia.
