Prof. Dr. Barbaros Özer

Professor Özer received the BSc and MSc degrees in DairyTechnology. He finished his PhD in Food Science and Technology at The University of Reading (UK). He was appointed as a full professor in 2006. He is currently member of Scientific Board of Turkish Food Safety Association (GGD) and Turkish Meat, Milk and Food Processors and Manufacturers Union (SETBIR), and co-founder and scientific advisor of Milk Academy. His major research fields are: dairy science and technology, novel product development, food safety, dairy microbiology, dairy-based health beverages. Professor Özer has over 100 scientific papers, book chapters and 4 books.

Summary

Presentation Title: Can current circular economy models in food packaging truly create a systemic transformation?

The EU has adopted a roadmap to reuse all plastic packaging by 2030. It is anticipated that 55% of plastic packaging in the EU will be recycled by 2025. It should be noted that this figure expresses the proportion of plastic collected for recycling, but it is not clear what the actual recycled rate is. There are reservations about the use of plastics included in the recycling program as primary packaging agents in food packaging. While issues such as uninterrupted traceability of recycled plastic materials, misuse, and discrimination of food-contact and non-food-contact waste await solutions, food safety and recycling efficiency of recycled plastics are among the issues that need to be focused on.

Presentation File: PDF