Relax plastic ban for food packing: TNFMAL

MADURAI: Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association Limited (TNFMAL), Madurai, has sought the government to withdraw its order preventing the use of primary plastic bags for essential food products such as rice, pulses, flours, wheat, millets, masala products and powders.

Earlier, the government order issued on June 25 in 2018, prevented the plastic materials, which pollute environment. In that particular order, one time use plastic category was only banned and it’s followed by the stakeholders accordingly, SVSS Velshankar, president, TNFMAL, Madurai said on Thursday.

With the new GO, of the Environment and Forests Department effective from June 5 this year, it’s enforced banning primary packing (multi layer) meant for packaging food products.

Citing this reason, in Tamil Nadu the licenses of the factories manufacturing or producing this type of packaging materials have not been renewed.

Food products, if not packed in plastic packing material, would certainly lose its characteristics and have lesser shelf life.

The GO issued by the environmental department of the Centre has not banned multilayer packaging materials. Hence, the TNFMAL has requested the state government to withdraw the new GO, and allow the use of multilayer packaging materials and also renew the license for the manufacturers.

He also added that the Maharashtra government made some relaxations on the use of plastics and the Tamil Nadu government could also follow suit.

Further, the TNFMAL president said a representation to fulfill these demands was also placed before the Forests and Environment Department.

The GO issued by the environmental department of the Centre has not banned multilayer packaging