A global alliance of industry organizations has been established with the goal of reshaping regulations on food packaging to promote environmental sustainability. The non-profit Alliance for Sustainable Packaging for Foods (ASPF) has brought together non-profit and non-governmental groups to engage with regulators and governments. This alliance aims to prioritize engagement with ongoing negotiations in the EU on the revision of applicable packaging and packaging waste rules, as well as packaging-related regulatory developments in Canada.
The ASPF was created in response to pending packaging regulations in the EU, which could impact food safety, quality, food loss/waste, and the carbon footprint of foods. Additionally, fast-moving regulations in Canada threaten fresh categories by proposing a ban on all plastics. The Alliance seeks to educate regulators and inform non-governmental organizations about the role of packaging in food consumption, food safety, and product quality, specifically in the EU, Canada, and the USA. It also aims to identify and address the needs for research to ensure that packaging regulations for food achieve environmental sustainability without compromising food safety and product quality.
Max Teplitski, chair of ASPF and chief science officer of IFPA, emphasized the alliance’s commitment to reducing packaging waste without compromising food safety. The ASPF’s purpose is to find opportunities for partnership across global stakeholders to create a harmonized approach to packaging regulation.
The founding members of ASPF include the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, FMI – The Food Industry Association, Fruit South Africa, Frutas de Chile, International Fresh Produce Association, and the Organic Trade Association. Todd Hoff, executive vice president at Reusable Packaging Association and vice-chair of the alliance, highlighted the potential of sustainable packaging solutions for food, such as reusable packaging, to enhance product protection and temperature management performance, thus ensuring food quality and safety and reducing waste. The position paper of the ASPF can be accessed here: https://www.allianceforsustainablepackaging.com/en/position-paper/.
