Food Safety and Standards Authority of India sets guidelines for food-grade rPET packaging; companies must display new logo on labels along with information in percentage of rPET used, and by fiscal year 2026 ensure that 30% recycled plastic is used

May 29, 2025 (Business Line) –

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has notified guidelines specifying the accepted criteria for food-grade recycled PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) which can be used as food contact material by beverage makers. The guidelines, which specify various aspects of r-PET recycling, also introduced a new logo that will need to be displayed on labels along with information on the percentage of recycled PET material used in the packaging material. The food safety authority has said that this logo has been developed to ensure “easy identification” and “for the benefits of consumers”.

As per the regulations notified by the Ministry of Environment , Forest and Climate Change, consumer product companies will need to ensure 30 per cent of recycled plastic is used to make category-1 packaging, which includes rigid plastics used in PET bottles, by FY26. These regulations came into effect from April 1 .

FSSAI said these guidelines “pertain to process and operations” involved in recycling of PET materials, which will be used as food contact materials. The guidelines also specify the “acceptance criteria” for FCM-rPET resin (Food contact material-recycled PET). It added the guidelines will apply only to recycling technologies approved by FSSAI.

FSSAI defines FCM-rPET as, “post consumer food grade PET resin that has undergone a validated decontamination process” as per norms set by national and international regulatory authorities to “achieve specified purity for directly holding food.”

In terms of “markings and labelling, the guidelines stated that the food contact material made of FCM-rPET will be required to carry the specified logo along with a declaration stating, “...the packaging material is made with recycled PET”. Sources said that the specific logo for r-PET used in food products has also been developed to identify the r-PET packaging is safe and sustainable.

The guidelines have defined various processes including super-clean recycling process and melt-in recycling process among others which will be acceptable for producing recycled PET as food contact material. It added that conventional recycling processes will not be allowed. “Such processes should not be used for manufacturing food contact materials as it does not have the decontamination process step,” it added.

The guidelines have also defined the criteria for testing as well as documentation parameters that various stakeholders including food business operators will need to adhere to for using recycled PET materials in food applications.

Last month, the Food Authority had organised a national consultation with various stakeholders guidelines, which have now been finalised.

These guidelines come at a time when several r-PET manufactures are awaiting approvals from FSSAI for their facilities; the F&B industry has raised concerns about lack of enough supply of approved r-PET material to meet the demands of beverage companies.

Published on May 27, 2025