Safety assessment of the process Novapet, based on Protec technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials

Abstract

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Novapet (EU register number RECYC208), which uses the Protec technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collected post-consumer PET containers, with no more than 5% PET from non-food consumer applications. The flakes are extruded into pellets, crystallised and treated in a solid-state polycondensation (SSP) reactor. Having examined the challenge test provided, the Panel concluded that the SSP (step 4) is critical in determining the decontamination efficiency of the process. The operating parameters to control the performance of this critical step are temperature, pressure and residence time. It was demonstrated that this recycling process is able to ensure that the level of migration of potential unknown contaminants into food is below the conservatively modelled migration of 0.1 μg/kg food. Therefore, the Panel concluded that the recycled PET obtained from this process is not of safety concern, when used at up to 100% for the manufacture of materials and articles for contact with all types of foodstuffs for long-term storage at room temperature, with or without hotfill. The final articles made of this recycled PET are not intended to be used in microwave or conventional ovens and such uses are not covered by this evaluation.