Kitchen organization has gotten much easier. We have stackable food storage containers in every shape and size. They are convenient, portable and reusable. But are we paying for this convenience with our health?
Vegetables in storage containers
Knowledge is key when it comes to choosing which types of plastic we should be storing our food in. By following a few simple steps, you can be well on your way to ridding your kitchen of easily avoidable chemicals that could be harmful to you and your family’s health.
Rid your kitchen of known harmful chemicals
Flip over your food containers and take a look at the small number printed on the bottom. If the recycling number is #3 or #7, it likely contains either BPA (bisphenol A) or phthalates (used to make PVC plastics) which mimic estrogen and can interfere with hormone levels. These can be especially harmful for still-developing bodies so, unless the plastic container clearly states that it is BPA and PVC-free, the safest thing to do is to get rid of them. Canada and the European Union have already banned BPA use in baby bottles and many people, including me, are not going to wait around for the U.S. to follow suit. If you don’t want to part with your plastics completely, be sure that your containers are either #2, #4 or #5, which are widely considered safe for food storage.
Never reheat food in plastic
Even if your food packing are labeled as one of the safe plastics, always transfer food to a glass or china dish before reheating in the microwave. All plastics contain possible harmful chemicals, and when heated, those chemicals can leech onto the food that is next to them. Take-out containers are one of the worst culprits when it comes to plastics that contain toxic elements, so never reheat food in those containers.
Take care when washing plastic
Dishwashers use very hot water and steam to clean dishes thoroughly — which leaves us with sparkling plates and glasses — but can unfortunately pose a problem when it comes to plastics. Just like microwaving, heating plastic can release harmful chemicals, so play it safe and wash your plastic containers by hand in lukewarm water.
All of our food service packaging is made from food grade PET and PP material. Click the links below to see the complete line.