Safe Plastics for Food Storage

Storing food safely in plastic containers

Catherine Zandonella
24th June, 2010

There are certain rules of thumb when it comes to storing, freezing and heating food in plastic containers. Read on to find out how to use plastics safely
We have been enslaved to plastic for the last few decades, and indeed it is an amazing material with many important uses. But food storage, reheating, and serving are not among them. To reduce the risk that plastic chemicals will leach into food during heating, avoid cooking in plastic containers, even if the label says 'microwave safe,' or 'oven safe'.

If you are stuck and you absolutely must microwave in plastic, follow the manufacturer's directions carefully. For example, some brands of plastic wrap advise to avoid letting the plastic wrap touch the food during microwaving.
Pyrex glass containers with lids are good alternatives to plastic food storage containers. They are widely available in stores and are ideal for food storage because they can move from freezer or refrigerator to microwave and table with ease.

When it comes to plastic food containers, some are safer than others. You can tell what kind of plastic you have by looking at the 'resin identification number' located in a triangle on the product. Note that the triangle by itself does not mean that the plastic is recyclable. You need to look at the number in the triangle and check with your local recycling company to see what types of plastic they accept. Some plastics are safer than others.

SAFER PLASTICS

#1 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) (water, juice, and soda bottles, peanut butter jars): PET is usually accepted by municipal recyclers. PET bottles can be reused if cleaned with hot soapy water and dried thoroughly between uses. However, environmental groups advise against washing the bottles repeatedly due to concerns that toxic chemicals can migrate from the plastic into the water. Recycle them when they become cloudy or cracked.

#2 High-density polyethylene (HDPE) (miscellaneous food containers, milk jugs, water jugs, cereal box liners): Containers made with HDPE do not leach chemicals into food and are sometimes accepted by municipal recyclers.

#4 Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) (sealable sandwich bags, plastic cling wrap, squeezable condiment bottles): These plastics do not leach toxic chemicals into food, but some municipal recyclers do not accept them.

#5 Polypropylene (PP) (yogurt containers, reusable plastic snack containers): These containers do not leach toxic chemicals into food. Many municipalities do not accept them for recycling, but you can find a list of recycling spots here. (In the UK the technology does not yet exist to recycle this kind of plastic efficiently.)

#7 Bio-plastics (picnic plates, cups, utensils): #7 is an 'other' category that sometimes is used on bio-based plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA). Bio-plastics are made from renewable resources such as corn, potatoes, sugarcane, and other materials with a high starch content. Although they are compostable, few facilities exist that can compost large amounts of them.

PLASTICS TO AVOID

#3 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (miscellaneous containers, cling wrap for meat and cheese): PVC is manufactured using processes that release dioxins, which the EPA classifies as likely human carcinogens. PVC also contains plastic softeners called phthalates that some studies have shown to harm hormonal systems. Cut away the part of the meat or cheese that came in contact with the cling wrap and store in a safe type of plastic.

#6 Polystyrene (PS) (cups, take-out containers, egg cartons, picnic utensils): The iconic white foam cup is made of polystyrene, as are many clear or solid plastic picnic utensils and cups. (It is not made of Styrofoam, which is actually a registered trade name for polystyerene foam used in construction.) Polystyrene manufacture involves the formation of toxic chemicals, and these products should be avoided in favour of reusable picnic items or safer plastics. Many alternatives now exist, including compostable, plant-based plastics.

#7 Polycarbonate (PC) (baby bottles, hard plastic cups, five-gallon water cooler bottles): #7 is an 'other' category but it often refers to polycarbonate, a plastic that is made with bisphenol A (BPA), a suspected hormone-disrupting chemical. Polycarbonate may also be labelled 'PC'. Some BPA-free PC plastics are available.

Should you wash plastics in the dishwasher?

Many plastic containers now contain a symbol that indicates they are safe to be washed in the dishwasher. However, you'll get more use out of your plastics and be assured that the hot water and abrasive detergents aren't degrading the plastics and releasing chemicals if you wash them by hand.

YVCC FOOD CLUB QUESTIONNAIRE

We are seeking feedback on food club operations. PLEASE ANSWER OUR FOOD CLUB QUESTIONNAIRE AND GET ANSWERS BACK TO:
Jeanne Charter, 13838 Hwy 87 N, Shepherd, MT 59079 or email to charter@midrivers.com
....OR POST YOUR COMMENTS BELOW !

How often would you like us to offer food drops? Monthly? Every other month?
Note: more frequent drops means we ought to provide special
discounts to the regular volunteers.


Different time of day? Different day of the week? Different place?


Should non-YVCC members be able to participate (with a significant
discount for members)?


What do you think of adding a Red Lodge drop or other drops around
Billings?


What do you think of coupling the drops with (all optional)
-local food suppers
-educational programs
-local food cooking classes
-group batch cooking events?


Would you be interested in ordering "takeout" dishes prepared (at an
approved facility) with local food supplies?


What about producer farm visits? Would you participate?


Should we add a local food charity donation option that customers can choose to add to their individual orders?


Please attach names and contact information for friends and neighbors
You think might be interested in participating in the food club---


If you participate in the club, why do you? If not, why not?



Please add any other suggestions or comments:

Anyone interested in starting a school garden should read: “Getting Started: a Guide for Creating School Gardens”. The complete guide available for download from www.lifelab.org/store-curricula.html.

YVCC's school garden committee is currently working on winning support from rural Canyon Creek Elementary's Principal and School Board for developing a school garden there.

Here's an outline of the Guide's major points:

 Support from Principal (and School Board) necessary

 Ongoing involvement of teachers essential

 Basic goal for garden to be “owned and operated by students”

 Plan and implement community involvement and support strategy

 As important to involve teachers and students in garden design phase as in development and operation

 Keep track of progress in School Garden Journal

 Need summer strategies

 Fund part-time garden coordinator if at all possible

 Start small and build up over several years

Step 1: Go ahead from Principal and Board

Step 2: Design Phase

-recruit teachers for steering committee (plus community/parent reps, custodian)

-site selection (consider: 6 hours sunlight, drainage, water, accessibility, security)

-get an “ultimate” garden design proposal and map from each class which considers
class beds
common garden
special projects
outdoor classroom
composting (worms!) area
greenhouse or cold frame
storage for tools etc

-prepare a 3-year “consensus” development plan including maps

-work out elements of maintenance, volunteer and community outreach strategies

-obtain start-up tools, seeds and materials

Step 3: 3-Year Implementation Phase

YEAR ONE:
Lay out full garden design with stakes and twine, put up student-made
signs for everything planned, and mulch paths

Community Ground Breaking Day for Year 1 beds (or planters?), soil
preparation, planting, set up compost area

Write up & post year’s garden maintenance and class use schedules

Recruit volunteers and provide teaching/garden orientation workshops

YEAR TWO:
Add a Year 2 Community Ground Breaking Day for at least all class beds

Schedule maintenance, volunteers & volunteer orientation, class use

Host at least one community event--perhaps a harvest festival

YEAR THREE:
Add a Year 3 Community Ground Breaking Day to complete the garden design

Schedule maintenance, volunteers, class use, community event(s)

Hold brainstorming sessions on other garden–related activities (i.e. cooking classes,
school lunches, class fundraisers, expanded summer programs, experiments)

The threat posed to the promising local food movement by major federal food safety reform legislation was the subject of an informal meeting recently held between S. 510’s chief sponsor, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, Montana’s Senator Jon Tester and YVCC-Northern Plains members and staff.

The typical local food consumer knows that buying from non-industrial nearby sources is her best strategy for obtaining safe, wholesome food for her family. She may be personally acquainted with her suppliers or else buys at a local farmers’ market, grocery, food club or restaurant where others have direct knowledge of their local vendors’ production and processing practices. She knows that state and local requirements provide adequate public oversight of local suppliers. She understands that a lot of extra federal regulation and red tape would probably put her small, local producers out of business. In short, she (or he) is part of a local, non-bureaucratic response to food safety and quality concerns more effective than a whole building full of FDA regulators.

Billings Good Earth Market’s general manager, Perry McNeese, explained to Durbin what a hardship new FDA regulation would put on his dozens of local food suppliers. Extensive licensing, assessment, accounting, reporting and recall requirements add up fast both in money and time spent, and none of his area producers deal in enough volume to afford such extra costs. Besides, he has been hired by the Good Earth Market’s 5,900 member-consumers to serve as the store’s local food quality and safety watchdog among his other duties. Extra FDA regulation would be an unnecessary burden on his current local suppliers and be likely to kill off all interest in new start-ups vital to a healthy local food movement.

On the other hand, the conventional industrial-and-fast-food consumer is clearly isolated and helpless by herself. YVCC-Northern Plains members and staff voiced support for stronger federal oversight of the gigantic centralized industrial food system with its long supply chains and serious product mixing and amalgamation risks. Consumer-driven local food systems are organized to avoid those very problems, and an exemption for the kind of micro-businesses that supply them only makes common sense.

Montana Senator Jon Tester arranged the meeting with Durbin and participated himself along with several staff members. Tester has firsthand experience with local food suppliers’ economics since his family operated an on-farm custom butcher business in Big Sandy for many years. Durbin has a long standing interest in food safety ever since working in an East St. Louis packing house in his college days and to keep faith with a constituent who lost a child to e coli- contaminated hamburger.

At the meeting’s conclusion, Tester and Durbin agreed to team up to make S. 510 friendly to the local food movement with Tester volunteering to take the lead in working out appropriate local food supplier exemption language. We encourage everyone interested to contact Tester’s and Durbin’s DC offices about how “one size does not fit all” in food safety. Please let us know about any feedback you receive...by emailing charter@midrivers.com