The food industry loves plastic; it’s light in weight and cheap, and the containers don’t break as often as glass containers. However there are hidden costs; we throw away millions and millions of containers each day that clog landfills and leach toxins into the environment; we ingest minute amounts of harmful chemistry in our food and drink that accumulate to the point that some scientists think is making us sick. Some of the chemicals can cause cancer; others disrupt our endocrine systems and affect our sexual health.
To be safest, never microwave or heat foods in any plastic container. While no plastic is risk-free, the best for food and drink are recycle codes 2, 4 and 5. The worst are recycle codes 3 and 6. Here’s a summary of the recycle codes. These are the numbers inside a triangle on the bottom of most plastic containers.
- (Recycle code-1) Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET): No known hazards at room temperature but containers should not be reused.
- (Recycle code-2) High Density Polyethylene (HDPE): No known hazards.
- (Recycle code-3) Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC): Not only does PVC contain phthalates that disrupt the endocrine system, when PVC is incinerated it produces dioxins. Definitely a material to avoid.
- (Recycle code-4) Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE): No known hazards.
- (Recycle code-5) Polypropylene (PP): No known hazards.
- (Recycle code-6) Polystyrene (PS) and Styrofoam: Styrene is a suspected carcinogen. Polystyrene contains p-nonylphenol which is an endocrine disrupter. You should use polystyrene or Styrofoam for food at all but especially not fatty foods or alcoholic beverages.
- (Recycle code-7) “Other Resins.” This is a catch-all category which includes Polycarbonate (PC), the glass-like material used in most clear plastic baby bottles, many food and drink containers, water-filtering pitchers, and 5-gallon water bottles. Bisphenol-A leaches into liquids or food when stored in PC containers. The bisphenol industry claims that the amount of exposure is below the level considered to be a health risk. Environmental groups say that the amount of bisphenol actually found in humans is too high and that the EPA standards are out of date.
Summary
Use glass and stainless steel for food storage when possible. This is even more important for long-term storage. If you must use plastic for food containers, use codes 2, 4 and 5. Generally avoid reusing plastic containers and if you must reuse them, at least throw them away when they are scratched or discolored.
