- PFA pens draft to regulate food packaging
LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority (PFA) decided on Monday to ban all kinds of styrofoam cups and plates across the province in a bid to promote hygiene in food packaging.
Considering food packaging as important as the food hygiene, the PFA on Monday penned down a draft for the regulation of packaging of food material. After the promulgation of PFA’s Packaging Material Regulation, 2018, the sale of food in non-food grade material will be completely banned across Punjab.
Materials like single-layered styrofoam, crappy paper and newspapers have been declared unlawful as the packaging material of various food items. Plastic and other packaging material would be required to be printed with non-absorbent ink. Glue made with only Halal animal sources would be allowed for adhesive purposes in the food packaging.
Only three-layer plastic bags would be allowed to use for packaging of ghee and oil products. According to the newly proposed law, it would be necessary that 19 litre water bottles be recycled after every 40th use.
After the scientific panel’s approval, the complete law will be presented before the upcoming board meeting for its promulgation. The scientific panel has made it clear that the presently available styrofoam cups and plates are unsafe for food packaging and can cause cancer.
After the approval of the proposed law, unsafe and unhealthy packaging materials will be banned in the province.