On January 4, 2024, Consumer Reports (CR) published a report investigating the presence of plastic chemicals in U.S. packaged foods. The study found that bisphenol A (BPA, 80-05-7) and phthalates are widespread in processed and packaged foods, even those labeled as organic. Both chemicals have been linked to a number of health problems, including reproductive and developmental issues, and cancer in BPA’s case (FPF reported, also here and here).
The study tested 85 foods, including fruits, vegetables, canned goods, and dairy products, packaged in cans, pouches, foil, or other materials. Bisphenols were detected in 79% of the tested samples, albeit with significantly lower levels than in a previous study in 2009, CR says. Phthalates were found in all but one food with much higher levels than for the bisphenols, ranging from less than 1,000 ng per serving to more than 50,000 in one sample. The amounts detected in the foods were below regulatory limits, however, the authors emphasize that “it’s difficult to quantify what a safe limit would be for a single food”, and “[…] there is no level that scientists have confirmed as safe […]” (FPF reported).
In April 2023, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published an updated Scientific Opinion on BPA where the tolerable daily intake (TDI) was reduced by a factor of 20,000 compared to the previous level determined in 2015 to a TDI of 0.2 ng/kg bodyweight per day (FPF reported).
According to CR, these findings are concerning, especially with growing research showing that some of these chemicals are endocrine disruptors (FPF reported and here). They urge chemical companies “to step up, by creating safer, more sustainable materials.”
Reference
Lauren F. Friedman (January 4, 2024). “The plastic chemicals hiding in your food.” Consumer Reports
Read more
Bailee Henderson (January 5, 2024). “High levels of toxic plasticizers phthalates, bisphenols found in nearly all foods in U.S.” Food Safety Magazine
European Food Safety Authority (April 19, 2023). “Bisphenol A in food is a health risk.”
