Scientific Opinion on the safety evaluation of the process ‘Evertis Iberica’, based on EREMA MPR technology, 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 (CEF Panel) deals with the safety assessment of the recycling process Evertis Iberica (EU register number RECYC0123), which is based on the EREMA Multi-Purpose Reactor (MPR) technology. The input to this process is washed and dried polyethylene terephthalate (PET) flakes originating from collected post-consumer PET containers and containing no more than 5 % PET from non-food consumer applications. In this technology, 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 step (step 2) is the critical step that determines the decontamination efficiency. The operating parameters which control the performance of this step are well defined and are temperature, pressure and residence time. It was demonstrated that the recycling process under evaluation is able to ensure that the level of migration of potential unknown contaminants into food is below a conservatively modelled migration of 0.15 µg/kg food, derived from an exposure scenario for toddlers. The Panel concluded that the recycled PET obtained from the process Evertis Iberica is not considered of safety concern when used for the manufacture of 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. Thermoforming trays are not intended to be used, and should not be used, in microwave and conventional ovens.