Scientific Opinion on the safety evaluation of the process Sky-Light MPR, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials

This scientific opinion of the EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids deals with the safety assessment of the recycling process Sky-Light MPR (EU register number RECYC005), which is based on the EREMA Multi-Purpose Reactor technology. The input to the process is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET) flakes originating from collected post-consumer PET bottles and containing no more than 5 % PET from non-food consumer applications. In this process, post-consumer washed and dried PET flakes are heated in a continuous reactor under vacuum. Having examined the results of the challenge test provided, the Panel concluded that the continuous reactor is the critical step that determines the decontamination efficiency of the process. The operating parameters to control its performance are well defined and are temperature, pressure and residence time. The operating parameters of this step in the process are at least as severe as those used in the challenge test. Under these conditions, it was demonstrated that the recycling process is able to ensure that the level of migration of potential unknown contaminants into food is below the modelled migration of 0.15 mu g/kg food derived from the exposure scenario for toddlers. Therefore, the Panel concluded that recycled PET obtained from the process Sky-Light MPR and intended for the manufacture of recycled thermoformed trays and containers made with up to 100 % recycled post-consumer PET and used for contact with all types of foodstuffs except packaged water, for long-term storage at room temperature, with or without hotfill, is not considered of safety concern. (C) European Food Safety Authority, 2013