Running head: PLASTIC PACKING OF FOOD STAFFS 1

Plastics Packaging and Its Effects on Food Stuffs

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Plastics Packaging and Its Effects on Food Stuffs

Introduction

In many supermarket, grocery, shops and other shopping places today, buyers are

encouraged not to carry any packing bags while going for the weekly shopping, reusable bags are

sold all over and they can have their products packed once bought. Food packing is vital since it

enables us protect our food products from germs, ensuring the high standard of food is maintained

as well as avoiding wastage of food. currently, most of people are living in cities, where options

of independently growing one’s food are minimal, in fact, no option at all. As a result, many people

are forced to purchase domestic products from near buy shops, supermarkets and other shopping

facilities and the products they buy for own consumption come packed; in most cases in plastic

containers. Little did we know that these kinds of packet food can have adverse effects into our

health (Gavriil, Kanavouras & Coutelieris, 2017). Food packaging in plastic materials can have

great effects into our bodies. This paper seeks to explore more about plastic food packaging and

its effects to food staff, which in turn affects our body when we consume the products.

Effects of plastic materials of food stuff

Currently, we are all cautioned about using plastic materials when packing our food staffs

or buying canned food. Although food preservation is very key, plastic materials are not the best

option to serve that purpose. For instance, we have seen fruits being packet in plastic materials.

Such plastic materials can cause harmful interaction with the fruits and consequently produce

hazardous chemicals to the fruits. Again, the plastic materials can degrade the quality of the fruits.

What most of us we don’t know is that many of the plastic containers as well as dishes do leach

chemicals into the food stuffs kept in them. The most common type of containers known for

leaching chemicals are #3 and #7 or any other hard plastic container, that is “shatterproof.” (Baluka
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& Rumbeiha, 2016) The plastic containers do contain Bisphenol A (BPA) – this is a chemical

which once taken into our body mimics some of hormones into our body and may probably cause

cancer. According to study by Scientific Americans, the chemicals released from the plastic

containers into the food are very harmful into human body. The chemicals can lead to lower sperm

count and growth of breast cancer.

Well, I have just mentioned two types of plastics which are considered more dangerous for

food storage. However, we need not to worry about BPA only, that is #3 and #7, all we need to

understand is that all plastic materials leach chemicals into food kept in them (Baluka & Rumbeiha,

2016). We know plastic containers and other plastic materials are polymers. Polymers are affected

by temperatures and that is the reason why most of the plastics don’t last forever (Bott, Störmer &

Franz, 2014). The more you heat and cool, and heat and cool a plastic material the more the

chemicals your breakdown chemicals contained in the contained. I am sure all of us are aware of

effects heat on polymers; the same concept of reasoning is applied here. Alright, when the

containers are heated or exposed to high temperature while in supermarkets or other shopping

places, they start breaking down slowly into tiny chemical substance, not that you cannot observe

that with your naked eyes (Bott, Störmer & Franz, 2014). The chemical substances released find

their way into the food stuff kept in the containers. As a result, when we take the food in such

containers detrimental and expensive health issues arise into our bodies.

Recent reports have indicated that when plastic containers are heated or exposed to high

temperature, the rate of leaching chemicals into the food stuffs is fifty-five faster than when the

containers are in normal conditions. So, we are highly encouraged never to heat food stuff in plastic

containers in the microwave or pour hot water in containers where we pack our foods. Although

according to my understanding this can only safe when we are handling the containers at home.
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But for the case of the food packed in plastic containers and are there in the market, we can only

avoid the chemicals by not buying such kind of foods. The matter is not limited to food only but

also the plastic water bottles which we use. Again, such containers bleach chemicals into the water

containers and when we drink water from such containers, we suffer health complications.

BPA is contained in lining of almost all canned food since it helps in preventing corrosion

as well as food contamination (Bumbudsanpharoke & Ko, 2015). So, we are highly encouraged to

avoid canned food but instead but fresh or frozen food. Although the matter of safety of using

bisphenol A as well as a class of chemicals known as phthalates is still under investigation, it is all

advisable to avoid using food staffs packed in plastic materials.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, food packaging is good but they way we pack them can be detrimental to our

health. Plastic food packaging has been proved to have hazardous effects into our body due to the

tendency of the containers naturally leaching chemicals into the food staffs in the containers. When

we take such contaminated food, unaware. We develop health complications. Therefore, it is

highly advisable to avoided canned foods, some water bottle containers and never heat food in

plastic materials, especially in microwave.

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References

Baluka, S. A., & Rumbeiha, W. K. (2016). Bisphenol A and food safety: Lessons from developed

to developing countries. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 92, 58-63.

Bott, J., Störmer, A., & Franz, R. (2014). Migration of nanoparticles from plastic packaging

materials containing carbon black into foodstuffs. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part

A, 31(10), 1769-1782.

Bumbudsanpharoke, N., & Ko, S. (2015). Nano‐food packaging: an overview of market, migration

research, and safety regulations. Journal of food science, 80(5), R910-R923.

Gavriil, G., Kanavouras, A., & Coutelieris, F. A. (2017). Food-packaging migration models: A

critical discussion. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 1-11.