CJ CheilJedang's Biodegradable Material PHA Approved by US FDA

New Opportunities for Food Packaging Materials in the North American Market
PHA Expected to Expand Applications Across Various Fields

CJ CheilJedang's biodegradable material PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) has opened the door to being used as a food packaging material in the United States.

CJ CheilJedang's biodegradable material PHA

CJ CheilJedang announced on the 4th that PHA has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a food contact substance (FCS).

PHA is a polymer material accumulated inside microbial cells by consuming plant-derived components, and it has the characteristic of decomposing in most environments, including soil and marine environments. It is a bio-based material that can be applied in various fields such as packaging for daily necessities and cosmetic containers, and it is emerging as an alternative amid the global movement to "de-petroleum-based plastics."

The approved product this time is amorphous PHA (aPHA), which CJ CheilJedang is the only company in the world to commercially produce. It has a soft texture like rubber, allowing the production of various items that require deformation, such as packaging materials and plastic bags. This material has undergone extensive safety testing and has been included in the FDA's list of food contact substances. In Korea, it is registered as a material that can be used for food packaging by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Through this food contact substance approval, CJ CheilJedang will be able to expand its biodegradable material business in the North American market, the largest in the world. In particular, PHA has the advantage of improving strength, physical properties, and biodegradability when mixed with other biodegradable materials such as PLA or PBAT, so it is expected to be widely used in various forms of food packaging. CJ CheilJedang also plans to pursue food contact substance approval for semi-crystalline scPHA material within this year.

A CJ CheilJedang official said, "Through this FDA food contact substance approval, we have laid the foundation to expand the future material PHA market," adding, "We will widely promote the usefulness of PHA in the global market and expand its use into various fields closely related to consumers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.