WASHINGTON, DC - With the launch of the Federal Plastics Registry in Canada, many within our business are wondering what is necessary to do to prepare. International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) already alerted its members to the development of the registry and issues this message to the industry at large.

“The Federal Registry is a broad sweeping approach to gather information about what plastics are entering the market,” said IFPA Chief Science Officer, Max Teplitski. “Because of this, we are strongly recommending our members connect with their legal counsel in order to determine whether they are required to provide information for the registry and what information that would be.”

According to a press release, the registry is designed to help lawmakers and regulators understand the plastic entering the Canadian market. It will require input from businesses across the supply chain whose products enter the Canadian market.

The notice stated that the responsible groups include:

• Manufacturers and importers of plastic resins
• Producers of plastic products
• Generators of packaging and plastic product waste
• Service Providers like waste collections, disposal businesses and more

“This is another step in the growing chorus of changes coming from national and international governing bodies to ban or regulate plastics,” added Teplitski. “While limiting waste from single-use plastic is a cause we can all support, IFPA continues to advocate that regulators prioritize food safety, food quality, and reducing food loss and waste when regulating plastic packaging. In many cases, these new regulations have no exemptions for ready-to-eat products to utilize a diversity of materials required to honor the trust of consumers in the safety of the most nutritious products on supermarket shelves. We maintain that there will be a significant impact on global health, global trade, and increase in food waste should governments continue to pursue packaging bans without an alternative on the market.”

Members of the industry looking for more information can click here.

We'll keep you in the loop on which plastic regulations are affecting our industry, so stay tuned to ANUK.