The First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Nino Tandilashvili, along with Deputies of the Minister, Solomon Pavliashvili and Zurab Ezugbaia, hosted the representatives of the business sector, including hypermarket chains and the hospitality industry.

The parties focused on the development of a regulatory model for the use of single-use plastic items intended for direct food contact - one that strikes a balance between health protection, environmental concerns, economic interests.

"The Ministry is actively working on the regulation of single-use plastics that come into direct contact with food. I would emphasize that coordinated cooperation with the business sector is of utmost importance to us.

The goal of these meetings and discussions is to ensure that any regulations adopted by the state - aimed at improving food safety and environmental standards - are both realistically enforceable and implemented within reasonable timeframes. I believe that through joint efforts, we can develop a model that supports public health, environmental safety, and the sustainable development of the private sector", - said Nino Tandilashvili.

Notably, excessive plastic consumption remains one of the most pressing environmental challenges today. According to research conducted in Georgia, country annually consumes approximately 612.5 million units of single-use plastic items, such as cups, lids, food containers, knives, forks, spoons, straws, plates, and stirrers. This amounts to a total of 3.9 to 5.9 thousand tonnes of plastic waste per year.

President of the Business Association of Georgia, Soso Pkhakadze, along with heads of relevant departments and representatives of Ministry, attended meeting.