Why PET Still Stands Out: A Food-Safety Expert Speaks Up

As conversations about packaging grow louder and more polarized, one material continues to be analyzed, scrutinized, and reaffirmed by regulators worldwide: PET (polyethylene terephthalate), indicated by the #1 on containers, is the only plastic mechanically recycled at scale globally and is used primarily for water and soda bottles.

A new article by toxicologist Leslie Patton, Ph.D., “PET Under the Microscope—A Food Safety View You Can Use,” offers a clear, science-driven explanation of why PET remains one of the most trusted food-contact materials in the world.

At NAPCOR, we welcome this piece because it reinforces what decades of data show: when PET—new (aka virgin) or recycled—is made and used within well-established regulatory guardrails, it is safe, reliable, and essential to modern food systems.

Below are the major takeaways for packaging professionals, brands, policymakers, and anyone navigating food-safety and sustainability decisions.

1. PET’s food-contact safety isn’t assumed — regulators verify it.

Dr. Patton emphasizes that PET is one of the most tightly regulated food-contact materials globally.

In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorizes PET under 21 CFR, clearly specifying the resin’s composition and use limitations.

Recycled PET (rPET) undergoes its own level of scrutiny: the FDA reviews each recycling process individually and issues a Letter of No Objection (LNO) only if the process consistently removes contaminants.

The allowable migration of a chemical from recycled packaging into food is extremely conservative: no more than 1.5 micrograms per person per day, a threshold considered to pose a negligible risk.

The same principle applies internationally. For example:

• The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) requires challenge testing of rPET processes.
• Health Canada provides safety opinions prior to authorization.

Key takeaway: Decades of regulatory review have affirmed PET’s safety for food packaging—both in its new (virgin) and recycled forms.

2. PET protects food, reduces waste, and helps lower climate impacts.

Food packaging is designed proactively to minimize or prevent food safety hazards, and PET excels at this. Its clarity, strength, and barrier properties protect food from moisture and oxygen, helping extend shelf life and prevent contamination.

That performance is critical, given that one-third of US food is wasted, which contributes to unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions. Packaging made from PET directly helps reduce that footprint.

PET also plays a vital role in emergencies and remote areas, where safe water and nutrition must be delivered in lightweight, shatter-resistant packaging.

Key takeaway: PET’s safety profile matches its real-world performance.

3. PET supports real circularity — today.

PET is the most widely recycled plastic in the United States, with more than 1.9 billion pounds recovered annually.

PET also has the lowest environmental footprint among mainstream beverage materials, with less than half the greenhouse gas emissions of aluminum, and about one-third that of glass. And incorporating recycled PET can reduce emissions at the resin stage by up to 60%.

Key takeaway: The combination of widespread recyclability, low carbon footprint, and strong demand from businesses that use recycled PET to make new products (aka end markets) positions PET plastic as a material with proven circularity.

4. Microplastics/microparticles: PET is not the problem.

The term ‘microplastics’ dominates headlines, but science paints a more nuanced picture.

Dr. Patton explains:

• The FDA states clearly that current evidence does not show that microplastics (microparticles) or nanoplastics in foods pose a human-health risk. PET remains fully approved under the FDA’s food-contact regulations.
• A 2025 French beverage study found more microplastic particles (aka microparticles) in glass bottles than PET ones, with the source traced to paint flaking from metal caps, not PET.
• Detection methods are not standardized, and some widely publicized studies were criticized for false positives, including misidentifying fats and lab-glove residue as plastics.

Key takeaway: PET plastic continues to demonstrate one of the strongest safety profiles among all packaging materials, and current microplastics research does not contradict that.

5. It’s time to move beyond “all plastics are the same.”

As Dr. Patton notes, no packaging material is flawless – but PET plastic, universally recognized by the #1 resin identification code, stands out for its:

• Strong and long-standing regulatory oversight
• Excellent food-safety performance
• High recyclability
• Lower environmental footprint compared to alternatives
• Demonstrated ability to support a more circular packaging system

Key takeaway: For brands, policymakers, and consumers, the real question is not whether PET is safe—regulators have answered that resoundingly—but how to continue designing and sourcing PET packaging responsibly so its full potential can be realized.

The Final Word on PET Food Safety.

NAPCOR appreciates Dr. Patton’s evidence-based contribution to the food packaging safety conversation. As public discourse grows more complex, clear scientific communication is essential. This article helps reinforce what our industry knows to be true: PET is a safe, trusted, circular packaging material that plays an essential role in protecting both people and the planet.

Read the full article: https://www.food-safety.com/articles/10881-pet-under-the-microscopea-food-safety-view-you-can-use