Packaging material manufacturers are set to face greater scrutiny as food safety compliance increasingly extends beyond the food processor to the materials that come into contact with food. This was one of the key messages from Amit Sharma, executive director, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), during his keynote address at the 13th Specialty Films & Flexible Packaging Global Summit in Mumbai.
With more than 7.2 million food business operators across India, the food ecosystem touches packaging at virtually every stage. Sharma described food safety as a shared responsibility involving governments, food manufacturers, food business operators and packaging material suppliers. That shared responsibility, however, is increasingly being backed by enforcement.
Compliance with food-contact packaging requirements is already part of the inspection checklist for food businesses. Packaging is examined for food-grade certification and conformity with overall and specific migration limits. Non-compliance can be classified as a major non-conformity and may result in suspension or cancellation of licences.
Sharma pointed to a recent case in which packaging-related non-compliance led to the seizure of material worth approximately INR 45 crore. The issue involved heavy-metal migration from material coming into contact with food. FSSAI is now also moving towards holding packaging material manufacturers and suppliers accountable in such cases.
“We have come across several cases where the packaging material is non-compliant with respect to safety limits, and now they will also be made a party to all the proceedings,” he said.
The authority is also preparing to widen its surveillance programme. From November 2026, FSSAI plans a pan-India surveillance exercise focused specifically on packaging materials. Samples will be collected from packaging manufacturers as well as food business operators, with the results helping identify compliance hotspots and guide enforcement action.
Beyond compliance, Sharma used the summit platform to raise two broader issues for the industry.
The first was biodegradable packaging, particularly for small-format packs that are more likely to end up in the open environment. Referring to a recent FSSAI initiative involving suggestive packaging materials for certain food categories, he called upon the industry to develop alternatives that combine biodegradability with the required oxygen and moisture barrier properties.
“My submission to this gathering is to deliberate on moving from circularity and sustainability towards biodegradability, especially for those small special formats,” he said. “If you can come up with some sort of roadmap, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and the Central Government would be happy to join hands with it.”
The second issue was microplastics and nanoplastics. While food-contact materials are only one of several potential sources, Sharma said the subject requires greater scientific attention and investment from researchers and industry.
He also noted growing interest in expanding the use of recycled polymers in food-contact applications. FSSAI has already approved recycled PET under defined conditions, while proposals relating to recycled polypropylene and polyethylene are under scientific consideration.
For the flexible packaging industry, the message was clear – packaging performance can no longer be viewed separately from food safety. Migration compliance, recycled content, environmental performance and emerging concerns such as microplastics are increasingly converging into a single regulatory and technology agenda.