On April 5, 2019, the German daily newspaper Die Tageszeitung (taz) published an article on plastic food packaging. In the article, journalist Kathrin Burger describes the increasing consumption of plastic packaging and mentions environmental problems caused by littering and marine pollution. Although chemical migration from plastic packaging is regulated in the EU, cited experts point out that many of the substances that are known to migrate have outdated toxicity data. Furthermore, other substances migrating into food are completely unknown, mixture effects are often not addressed, and enforcement is not sufficient. Reduction and replacement of endocrine disrupting chemicals, e.g., bisphenols and phthalates, and the use of recycled food packaging are also critically addressed. The article closes with some recommendations on how to safely use or avoid plastic packaging.

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Kathrin Burger (April 5, 2019). “Giftstoffe und Plastikberge.» Die Tageszeitung (in German)

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