<\/span><\/h3>\nThe amendment introduces a new paragraph allowing recycled plastics to be used in the production of materials and articles that come into contact with food.<\/strong> This must be done in accordance with the \u201cRegulation on the Use of Recycled Plastics in Materials and Articles Intended to Come into Contact with Food<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/span>Quality and Traceability Requirements<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nTo ensure material safety, operators are required to:<\/p>\n
\n- Implement<\/strong> a quality control system during reprocessing.<\/li>\n
- Prevent<\/strong> mixing of plastics with different compositions, non-plastic materials, or other waste.<\/li>\n
- Maintain<\/strong> traceability of material batches throughout all stages of reprocessing and transfer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"Turkey](\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/turkey-2-1024x576.png\")
<\/strong><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
<\/span>Operational Obligations: Handling of Production Scrap and By-products<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nThe amendment permits the reprocessing of production scraps, edge trimmings, and similar by-products <\/strong>under good manufacturing practices and conditions set out in Annex 7.<\/p>\nThese materials must<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n- Be collected separately<\/strong> near the production site.<\/li>\n
- Be handled in clean<\/strong>, purpose-specific containers, pipes, or belts.<\/li>\n
- Be properly sealed<\/strong> and labeled<\/strong> to avoid contamination.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/span>Transitional Compliance Deadline & Implementation<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nOperators must fully comply with the new provisions by November 30, 2026<\/strong>. This transitional period allows companies to adapt their processes and integrate approved recycled plastics into their production workflows.<\/p>\nThe Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is responsible<\/strong> for enforcing the amended regulation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/span>Safety Considerations and Industry Implications<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nWhile the amendment supports sustainability goals, it also brings safety considerations to the forefront<\/strong>. Previous research by the Food Packaging Forum (FPF) highlighted potential risks<\/strong> associated with recycled plastics in food contact applications, including:<\/p>\n\n- Chemical migration<\/strong> into food.<\/li>\n
- Long-term material stability <\/strong>issues.<\/li>\n
- Complexity<\/strong> of unknown or unregulated chemical substances.<\/li>\n
- Limited hazard data<\/strong> for certain recycled materials.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These concerns underscore the importance of the mandated quality assurance and traceability systems.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/span>Conclusion<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nTurkey\u2019s decision to allow recycled plastics in food contact materials marks the country\u2019s move toward more sustainable packaging practices. By pairing this permission with strict quality control and traceability frameworks, authorities aim to balance environmental goals with consumer safety. As the industry adapts to meet the compliance deadline of November 30, 2026, manufacturers will need to align their operations with both regulatory standards and growing expectations for responsible, safe and sustainable packaging solutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Turkey has officially amended its Food Codex Regulation to allow the use of recycled plastics in materials intended to come into contact with food. This regulatory development, which entered into force on September 15, 2025, marks a significant shift in national policy toward circularity and sustainability in packaging, while emphasizing safety and strict quality control.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10149,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,545,540],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-packaging-legislation-en","category-regulations-policy-en","category-28","category-545","category-540","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10152"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10152\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10160,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10152\/revisions\/10160"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}