A packaging buyer choosing between PET, HDPE, LDPE, and PP for a food product is really asking two separate questions at once: which polymer performs the job, and which polymer is actually permitted to touch that food. The two answers don't always match. A material can be food-safe in general use and still fail a specific application if it's the wrong grade, carries the wrong recycled content, or is missing the right compliance documentation.

In India, that compliance question runs through two bodies. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) governs food-contact materials under the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018, which were amended in 2025 to allow food-grade recycled PET. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) sets the material standards those regulations rely on: IS 10171 is the general guide on which plastics suit food packaging, and each polymer then has its own food-contact specification. This guide covers which polymers are used for food packaging, which standard applies to each, and where recycled content currently stands.

What Makes a Plastic "Food-Grade" in India

"Food-grade" is not a marketing term. It is a regulatory status built on three conditions. First, the material has to pass FSSAI's overall migration limit of 60 mg/kg (or 10 mg/dm²) when tested under IS 9845, with no visible colour migration, along with specific migration limits for certain metals and substances. Migration is how much of the packaging transfers into the food. Second, the resin, its additives, and its pigments have to conform to the relevant BIS specifications. Third, where recycled content is involved, it has to come from a process FSSAI has separately authorised. The full requirements are set out in FSSAI's Packaging Regulations compendium.

None of this is visible from the resin alone. Two batches of what looks like the same PP can differ in food-grade status depending on additive package, contamination history, and whether the batch is virgin or recycled. So the practical question is never "is PP food-grade" in the abstract. It's whether this supplier's batch carries the documentation to prove it for this application.

The Polymers Used in Food Packaging, and the Standard for Each

Four polymer families cover most food packaging in India, and each has its own BIS food-contact standard. Two older materials, PS and PVC, also have standards but come with extra checks.

The detail buyers most often get wrong is that polyethylene and polypropylene are covered by separate standards. IS 10146 applies to polyethylene only, including HDPE, LDPE, and LLDPE. Polypropylene and its copolymers fall under IS 10910. A compliance certificate that cites IS 10146 does not cover a PP grade, and the reverse is also true.

PS and PVC are not banned as materials, but India's 2022 single-use plastics ban covers several disposable formats, such as plastic plates, cups, and cutlery, that PS has traditionally been used for. Specifying either without checking the end format against that ban is a real compliance risk.

Food-Grade Recycled Plastics: What's Actually Approved

Recycled content in food packaging is real and growing in India, but it's more tightly gated than virgin material. FSSAI's 2018 regulations originally barred recycled plastics from food contact. The March 2025 amendment opened the door for recycled PET (rPET), but only when it is produced through a validated decontamination process. Conventional mechanical recycling, where flakes are simply washed, melted, and pelletised, does not qualify.

Demand is being pushed by the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified on 31 March 2026. Rigid plastic packaging (Category I), which includes PET bottles, must carry 30% recycled content in 2025-26, rising to 40% in 2026-27, 50% in 2027-28, and 60% from 2028-29. The rules allow exemptions where FSSAI or another statute restricts recycled content in a given application.

Supply is catching up. In March 2026, FSSAI granted final authorisation to 17 rPET plants with a combined capacity of about 3 lakh tonnes a year, and further approvals have followed since. Because the list keeps changing, buyers should check a recycler's authorisation against FSSAI's current list rather than rely on a list published at any single point in time.

For recycled polyethylene and polypropylene, the position is narrower. FSSAI's recycling guidelines are written specifically for PET, so recycled HDPE, LDPE, and PP should be treated as not cleared for direct food contact unless a supplier can show a specific FSSAI authorisation for that material and process.

How to Verify a Supplier's Food-Grade Claim

Before specifying a polymer for a food-contact application, ask for four things, not a verbal assurance:

• A compliance statement against the BIS standard that matches the polymer: IS 12252 for PET, IS 10146 for polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE), or IS 10910 for PP. Check that the standard on the certificate matches the resin on the invoice.

• Migration test results against the 60 mg/kg overall migration limit under IS 9845, using conditions that reflect the actual food (aqueous, acidic, fatty, or alcoholic) and the actual use (ambient, chilled, or hot-fill).

• Confirmation that additives and pigments are on the permitted lists, including IS 9833 for colourants and IS 16738 for constituents in PE and PP.

• For any recycled content, the recycler's FSSAI authorisation for the specific plant, plus batch traceability. A general claim that the material is "recyclable" or "eco-friendly" is not evidence.

A supplier who can produce these on request is treating food-grade as a compliance status. One who can't is asking you to take their word for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which plastics are considered food-grade in India?

PET, HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE, and PP are the polymers most commonly used for food packaging in India. Each must meet FSSAI's Packaging Regulations, 2018 and its own BIS standard: IS 12252 for PET, IS 10146 for polyethylene, and IS 10910 for polypropylene. PS and PVC also have BIS standards, but several disposable formats made from them fall under the 2022 single-use plastics ban.

Which BIS standard covers food-grade polypropylene?

IS 10910 covers polypropylene and its copolymers for safe use in contact with food. It is separate from IS 10146, which covers polyethylene only, so a PP grade needs its own IS 10910 compliance statement.

Is recycled PET (rPET) allowed for food packaging?

Yes. Since FSSAI's 2025 amendment, food-grade rPET is permitted when produced by an FSSAI-authorised recycler using a validated decontamination process. FSSAI granted final authorisation to 17 rPET plants in March 2026, so buyers should confirm the specific plant's authorisation rather than assume all rPET qualifies.

Can recycled HDPE, LDPE, or PP be used for direct food contact?

Generally not at present. FSSAI's recycling guidelines are written specifically for PET, so recycled polyethylene and polypropylene should not be used for direct food contact unless the supplier holds a specific FSSAI authorisation for that material and process.

What documents should a buyer ask for to confirm a polymer is food-grade?

Ask for a compliance statement against the matching BIS standard (IS 12252, IS 10146, or IS 10910), migration test reports under IS 9845 for the intended food type, additive and pigment compliance, and, for recycled content, the recycler's FSSAI authorisation.

Buying Food-Grade: Documentation First, Resin Second

The polymer choice for food packaging is rarely the hard part. PET, HDPE, LDPE, and PP each have a well-established role, and most packaging engineers already know which one fits a given format. The harder part is confirming that the specific batch on offer carries food-grade status under the right standard, and that the paperwork holds up if a customer's compliance team or an FSSAI inspection asks for it. Matching the certificate to the polymer, the test report to the food, and any recycled content to an authorised plant covers most of that risk.

This article is for general informational purposes and reflects publicly available regulatory information at the time of writing. Food-grade compliance requirements can change and vary by application; always confirm current FSSAI and BIS requirements with a qualified compliance professional before finalising packaging material for food contact.