The government authorizes the use of recycled water in human food production

2024-07-15 15:25:00

It is thanks to the signing of a filter and a stand, on Monday, July 8, that manufacturers are now authorized to use, according to certain terms of use, recycled water. These will be able to appear as one of the ingredients used in the composition of the food.

You can’t stop progressing! This issue, which allows producers to become more economical with their water, is awaited by the agri-food sector. The water plan presented by the government in March 2023 paves the way for the adoption of restrictive regulatory measures, confirming that it wants to facilitate the recovery of wastewater. Here it is finally bearing fruit more than a year later.

The purpose of such measures is to reduce the growing pressure that is experienced each year on the resource and thus ensure equity in access and cost to producers. From 2023, the goal has been the following: to obtain a 10% reuse of wastewater after the recycling process by 2030.

According to West France, in Brittany at least, the new regulations will have their biggest impact on the sanctuaries. 43% of the water from the factories in the sector will be used for cleaning services, which until now can only be done with drinking water. L’The Association Bretonnes des Entreprises Agroalimentaires (ABEA) estimates that 55% of agri-food companies in the region have water recycling in mind.

Treated and recycled water can also be used to prepare, process or preserve foods intended for human consumption. However, the safeguards are, according to official documents, important. Actually, all this can only be done with the agreement of the authorities, after a training phase where manufacturers must compile a file confirming, among other things, strict compliance with the required health guarantees.

The Ministry of Agriculture then said that this new system will allow huge savings on water, ranging “from 15% to 80% in drinking water”. This will also make it possible to “significantly reduce withdrawals from natural resources, especially during periods of drought”.

FirstThere is no bottom, except the control weight of the method seems to be required for producers wanting to benefit from this new ecological good point.