FSSAI Urges Consumers and Vendors to Stop Using Newspapers for Food Packaging

• 28 Sep 2023

Recently, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a strong recommendation to consumers and food vendors nationwide, urging them to cease using newspapers for packing, serving, or storing food items.

Key Points

• Strict Regulations: The Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018, explicitly prohibit the use of newspapers or similar materials for storing, wrapping, or serving food, including absorbing excess oil from fried items.
• Ink Composition: FSSAI CEO emphasized significant health risks associated with using newspapers for food packaging, highlighting that newspaper ink contains bioactive materials and chemicals, including lead and heavy metals, which can contaminate food and pose health threats upon ingestion.
• State Collaboration: FSSAI is actively collaborating with state food authorities to enforce the prohibition of newspaper usage for food packaging and to raise awareness among the general public about this issue.