The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given approval for yet another category, J, to recycled PET processed on Vacurema recycling systems, so that now the material processed through these machines is approved for re-use in food packaging even if temperatures rise above 120°C (250°F) during heating.

The FDA’s J-category approval is in addition to categories C-H for which the Vacurema already has approval. Austrian plastics recycling machinery manufacturer Erema (Ansfelden) develops and markets the machines. The newest approval is for packaging that is heated in either microwave or conventional ovens, and is for packaging containing up to 100% recycled content.

This extension to the scope of approval also was carried out by two independent institutes (Fraunhofer Institute and Keller & Heckman) in various forms, including challenge tests. Both this extension and the other FDA approvals apply to systems that have already been supplied, so that existing owners of the Vacurema recycling machines also stand to benefit from the extended scope.