National Stakeholder Consultation on Sustainable Packaging Held in Mumbai

India’s Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Mr Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav, inaugurated a National Stakeholder Consultation on “Sustainable Packaging for Food Business: Emerging Global Trends and Regulatory Framework” organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) at Mumbai.

In his address, Mr Jadhav highlighted the growing importance of the sustainable packaging of food items. He announced that the guidelines for the use of rPET in packaging have been prepared by FSSAI after extensive consultations with all stakeholders and in line with the best global practices. He also mentioned that a logo has been developed for easy identification and to benefit consumers of food products.

Addressing the gathering, Jadhav stated that “shifting towards sustainable methods of packaging is the need of the hour.” He stressed that plastic usage is a growing concern globally, as it remains undecomposed in the environment for years, having detrimental consequences. “What we need today is a shift towards alternatives that are sustainable, recyclable, and biodegradable”, he further stated.

Hailing India’s age-old traditional methods, Jadhav also emphasised the need to connect the ancient ecological practices to modern techniques to ensure sustainability, stating that “India has the potential to lead the world in this direction.”

He also appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and FSSAI in providing an important platform, the National Stakeholders Consultation, to deliberate upon crucial issues that affect the country’s health and well-being.

The Minister of State also held an informal open consultation session with stakeholders, allowing them an opportunity to share their challenges and discuss future avenues for improvement and growth.

The consultation brought together over 1500 stakeholders representing food businesses, packaging industries, recycling associations, regulatory bodies, environmental organisations, consumer groups, farmer groups, and government departments to deliberate on the future of sustainable food packaging in India.

The consultation was part of an ongoing series of national-level stakeholder discussions aimed at holding critical deliberations on critical issues that require multi-stakeholder engagement. 

Under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, FSSAI has launched this pivotal initiative to convene such National Stakeholder Consultations to foster greater inclusivity, transparency, and evidence-based policymaking in formulating food safety regulations.

By actively engaging with industry, academia, consumer groups, farmer groups and regulatory bodies, FSSAI seeks to incorporate sector-specific perspectives and ground-level insights into its regulatory framework, ensuring that policies are practical and aligned with public health priorities.

The consultation featured a Technical Session in which the Chairperson of FSSAI’s Scientific Panel on Packaging presented on the detailed scientific basis, risk assessment principles, and transparent consultative approach employed by FSSAI while framing robust scientific standards.

Representatives from BIS talked about the Global and Indian standards on food packaging and the overview of the existing IS standards for packaging materials.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) shared about the role that CPCB plays in driving sustainable practices through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) under the Plastic Waste Management Rules.

Representatives from Industry presented innovative approaches being adopted to develop eco-friendly, lightweight, and recyclable packaging solutions tailored for food and beverage products, the importance of plastic waste recovery and recycling to support the circular economy and Consumer concerns and expectations towards sustainable food packaging.

The session concluded with a technical debrief by Dr. Alka Rao, Advisor (Science & Standards and Regulations), wherein she emphasised the importance of stakeholder collaboration in advancing sustainable packaging solutions that align with food safety standards and support India’s broader environmental goals.