In an article published on January 19, 2016 the Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals informs about chemical migration tests conducted with five lunch boxes and three food containers made of plastic. Lunch boxes and food containers were tested for certain chemicals of concern (COCs), such as phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA 80-05-7), and heavy metals. None of the COCs of interest were detected. Further, chemical migration from the lunch boxes and food containers into varying food simulants at different temperatures was measured. The three plastic food containers released chemicals into a heated simulant for fatty foods – two of the three containers did so “to a larger extent”, according to the article. Only the total amount of chemical migrate was measured, the individual substances were not identified. The five lunch boxes, tested at lower temperatures, showed limited to no chemical migration into the food simulants. Christel Søgaard Kirkeby, project manager at the Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals, recommends storing warm fatty foods in glass containers to minimize chemical migration. Further, regarding the lunch boxes, she notes that the wrapping paper for the contents should be chosen carefully as it could contain COCs such as polyfluorinated chemicals. Kirkeby thus recommends using eco-labeled parchment paper.
Read more
Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals (January 19, 2016). “Test: Chemicals from plastic food containers migrate into warm fatty foods.”
Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals (January 13, 2016). “Test: Kemi i madkasser og opbevaringsbokse.” (in Danish)
