Ecological organization Arnika called upon today the State Agricultural Intervention Fund not to assign prestigious quality label KLASA (1) anymore to food packaged in PVC. In a written appeal Arnika requires a ban of using PVC as a packaging material for consumables as one of conditions for gaining national label KLASA.
Package is an important part of product itself and, when made of PVC, very hazardous substances such as phthalates, adipates and 4-nonylfenol can leak from it directly to food. In case KLASA shall be further considered as prestigious quality label, it should not be assigned to products representing such risk,“ said Arnika´s spokesman Marek Jehlička.
Head of Arnika´s campaign „Do Not Play with PVC“ Ing. Miroslava Jopková added that PVC is not only hazardous when it is being used. It is detrimental also within processes of production and liquidation. „PVC is not easy to recycle and it also does not belong to containers for separated waste. Used up food packages made of PVC often end up on municipal waste landfills or in waste incinerators. Hazardous phthalates, adipates and heavy metals leak from PVC during landfilling. Incineration of PVC creates hydrogen chloride and dioxins. Burning also causes emissions of heavy metals. It is regrettable that this is also the end of used up packages which take pride in the label KLASA,“ Jopková said.
Notes:
(1) National label of quality food products KLASA is assigned by the minister of agriculture on the base of recommendation of label manager – the State Agricultural Intervention Fund (in Czech Státní zemědělský intervenční fond - SZIF). The label can be assigned only after having fulfilled all conditions named in „Rules for assignation of the national label KLASA“. The „Rules“ are proposed and by marketing department of the State Agricultural Intervention Fund and by expert council, and approved by the Czech Agricultural Ministry.
