Media Contact: Chris Smith

Bioplastics producer Telles said that two of its Mirel injection molding resins have gained Food and Drug Administration approval for certain food contact applications.

FDA has cleared Mirel F1005 and F1006 grades for use in non-alcoholic food contact applications ranging from frozen food storage to use with boiling water, including microwave reheating. The approval covers housewares, cosmetics and medical packaging.

Mirel is a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) resin produced from corn that biodegrades in commercial or low temperature home composting installations. It is suitable for a range of injection molded food applications including caps and closures and disposable items such as cutlery.

Lowell-based Telles commissioned its first commercial production unit for the resin in Clinton, Iowa, in March. The plant has a nameplate capacity of 50,000 metric tons a year. Telles is a joint venture owned by bioplastics technology company Metabolix Inc. and agri-products group Archer Daniels Co.

“With the Clinton plant now in operation, and this FDA clearance, we now can move forward with brand owners’ requests to use Mirel in their injection molded food packaging applications,” said Richard Eno, Metabolix CEO.

Telles has also made a submission for food contact approval in Europe. However, a spokesperson for the company said that while it expected to receive an opinion from EFSA in the second half of the year, this was not certain.

“There are many factors outside of our control, and our EU strategy for Mirel does not depend on EU food contact approval,” the spokesperson told European Plastics News.

The spokesperson said the company was “unsure” whether all of the monomers and additives used in its Mirel resin were already included in the relevant Annexes of Directive 2002/72/EC.

The requirement to add a monomer or additive to the Annex lists in the Directive can further delay European approval processes.