India's FSSAI proposes allowing chemically recycled PE and PP in food packs
India's food safety regulator FSSAI has published a draft amendment that would let chemically recycled polyethylene and polypropylene touch food, alongside the recycled PET already permitted. The plastic must be broken down to the monomer stage under Indian Standard IS 14534 and match virgin-material specifications; mechanically recycled material remains excluded. The draft, signed 2 November 2026, is open for comment for 60 days from its 3 November Gazette publication, running to early January 2027.
Why this mattersOpening two more resins to food contact, if finalised, would let Indian food brands meet rising recycled-content mandates they currently sidestep via an FSSAI exemption.
- Draft signed by FSSAI chief executive Rajit Punhani on 2 November 2026, published in the Gazette of India on 3 November 2026.
- Recycled polyethylene and polypropylene would be allowed only via chemical recycling to the monomer route under IS 14534, with output equivalent to virgin material.
- A separate clause would allow recycled plastic from food-grade packaging in the outer layer only of multilayer packs, subject to existing migration limits.
- Public comments accepted for 60 days from Gazette publication, to roughly early January 2027.
- Plastic Waste Management Rules require rigid packaging to contain 30% recycled plastic in 2025-26, rising to 60% by 2028-29; flexible packaging must rise from 10% to 20%.
- Only recycled PET is currently permitted in food contact, following FSSAI's March 2025 amendment.