New Delhi, Nov. 13 -- As rising temperatures become the new normal and changing lifestyles drive a surge in food delivery, the Centre plans to launch a major scientific study to assess whether the plastic containers, pouches and bags used to pack items such as curries, gravies and rice remain safe under extreme Indian weather conditions, two people said.

The study to be conducted by the consumer affairs ministry's standardization arm-the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)-will help determine if existing packaging safety limits are still effective amid higher ambient heat, longer transport durations and shifting storage patterns caused by climate change.

It will examine how chemicals from various types of plastic packaging including polyet...