Cellulose trays with PLA-based liners as single-used food packaging: characterisation, performance and migration

In France, collective catering must adopt compostable alternatives for warming/serving trays to reduce the use of plastic materials by 2025. Cellulose trays laminated with biobased polymers such as polylactic acid are gaining popularity. To guarantee safety, the presence and the migration of substances should be tested according to established protocols. PLA, PCL, PBAT, PBS, PEG, were identified in the liners of the trays collected from the market. Testing ensured the compliance with global migration limit. After undergoing the real-condition processing, the trays experienced minor physical degradation and fractures, compromising integrity. Heating to higher temperatures (130 °C) led to some modifications of the polymer composition, and several substances linked to the safety of the trays were detected as potential migrants like plasticizers and additives (styrene and a volatile fluorinated compound) in some of the samples. Migration of monomers and oligomers from the liner should further be studied to guarantee food safety.