This is What You Need to Know If You’re Using Plastic Bags for Food

We use plastic bags everyday. Whether it’s shopping for groceries, clothes or any other items, you’ll almost certainly get a plastic bag to carry them. However, they can be quite dangerous especially when it comes to food items.

Use of Plastic Bags For Edibles

It is an established fact that when a hot substance comes in contact with plastic, several toxic substances, including the cancer-causing Bisphenol A, are released as a result, and get mixed with the food inside.

Now think of all the packed meals that you often buy from the market for eating in low-grade plastic bags! Alarming isn’t it?

In fact, the use of non-biodegradable plastic is prohibited all across the world. In 1995, the Pakistani government passed a law against the use of plastic bags that featured a density of less than 300 microns. However, it was never really implemented.

These plastic bags are not only causing different digestive issues, including the production of malignant cells, but our sewerage systems are also getting choked because of them.

Most of the plastic shoppers are usually made from the worst form of recycled plastic which doesn’t decompose even after several years. The other way of disposing them off is to burn them which again spreads air pollution.

How to Avoid These Issues

There are plenty of ways through which these limitless hazards of plastic can be controlled, especially when carrying edibles:

• Use utensils made of steel or glass for packing food, especially hot meals
• Avail reusable bags for groceries
• Avoid low quality plastic bags with a thin shiny texture
• If needed, use biodegradable plastic bags for carrying stuff other than edibles

Other than plastic bags, we normally come across food packed in plastic boxes which also carry the same hazards. A very simple tip for you to check whether a plastic box or utensil can be used for carrying edibles is to check the triangle sign that is usually embedded at the back of it.

If your plastic box is rated from the numbers 1, 2, 4, or 5 it is okay to use. If not, those boxes are probably suited for other things.

Remember these simple tips to improve your health and save the environment.