On August 23, 2025, the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) officially informed the World Trade Organization of the planned implementation of the draft Food Safety (Food Contact Materials) Regulation, 2024 of Bangladesh. The draft applies to the production, import, processing, storage, marketing, and use of food contact materials (FCMs) in Bangladesh. Exemptions include antique artefacts and packaging used in public water supply systems. All FCM business operators must register with BFSA and companies may not manufacture or use FCMs containing substances that have not been BFSA-approved. Manufacturers and importers must conduct safety testing and obtain certification from authorized laboratories. Traceability across the supply chain and clear labelling are mandatory.
General safety and material requirements
All FCMs in Bangladesh must be “food grade,” defined as safe and suitable for intended use and not endangering health or altering the food composition or organoleptic characteristics. Additional material requirements include:
- Paper & board: Must be free from contaminants, visible specks, grease marks, pinholes, and other blemishes; must meet Bangladesh standards where available. Use of newspaper and similar paper for serving, storing, or wrapping food is banned; printed surfaces may not contact food directly.
- Glass: “As far as possible” shall be free from blisters and chips; must have a smooth surface, and the “sealing surface shall be free from hairline cracks and prominent seam marks.”
- Metals: Coated metal packaging must meet an overall migration limit (OML) of 60 mg/kg or 10 mg/dm² when the coating is a polymer or lacquer. Tin containers may not be reused for food.
- Plastics: Either comply with the OML of 60 mg/kg or 10 mg/dm² with no visible color migration or meet specific migration limits (SMLs) for 11 substances including bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP, CAS 117-81-7), and several heavy metals. Pigments and colorants in plastics must meet ISO requirements.
- Reusable containers: Plastic containers ≥5 L and glass bottles reused for food must be durable, easy to clean, and disinfectable.
Printing inks and other materials that may contact food must comply with Bangladesh standards or, where unavailable, with Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), US Food and Drug Administration, or EU rules. There is no stated preference among these.
Members of the World Trade Organization have until October 12, 2025, to comment on the draft. The Bangladesh government will likely pass the regulation by the end of 2025, in which case it will come into effect six months later in mid-2026.
References
BFSA (2024). “Food Safety (Food Contact Materials) Regulations, 2024.” (pdf).
BFSA (August 13, 2025). “WTO notification on Draft Food Safety (Food Contact Materials) Regulations, 2024.” WTO
Read more
Uzair Aftab (September 1, 2025). “Bangladesh aims to implement FCM regulation in 2026.” Chemical Watch News & Insight.
Charlotte Niemiec (August 19, 2025). “Bangladesh develops draft guidelines for food contact packaging.” Chemical Watch News & Insight.
