New York: Despite health dangers, Consumer Reports discovered that plastic is still a “massive” presence in food.
Explore the persistent issue of Plastics maintain a ‘Widespread’ Presence in Food through our insightful blog.
As a result, the organization urged regulators to reevaluate the safety of plastics used in food manufacturing.
According to the non-profit consumer group, 84 of the 85 grocery and fast food items it recently tested contained “plasticizers” called phthalates, which are used to make plastics harder.
It also stated that, although the amounts were lower than in tests carried out in 2009, 79 percent of the food samples in its investigation included bisphenol A (BPA), another chemical present in plastics, as well as other bisphenols.
According to Consumer Reports, none of the phthalate levels were higher than those allowed by European and American regulators.
He added that while experts have not yet determined a safe threshold of phthalates, this does not mean that the food you eat is safe.
Phthalates and bisphenols can interfere with estrogen and other hormone production and control, thus raising the risk of birth abnormalities, cancer, diabetes, infertility, neurodevelopmental disorders, obesity, and other health problems.
The grocery goods that were examined included Annie’s Organic Cheesy Ravioli, which contained the greatest amount of phthalates per serving (53,579), followed by Del Monte’s sliced peaches and pink salmon from the chicken of the sea.
Many Wendy’s, Burger King, and McDonald’s burgers, nuggets, and fries, as well as Cheerios and Yoplait yoghurt, a brand of baby food, were also linked to high phthalate levels.
Consumer reports also revealed differences between similar products. Compared to McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, Wendy’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets had four times the amount of phthalates per serving—33,980 nanograms.
Consumer Reports’ product safety testing manager James Rogers stated, “This tells us that, as widespread as these chemicals are, there are ways to reduce the amount in our food.”
According to the consumer group, a reconsideration of the hazards of plasticizers by the US Food and Drug Administration and other agencies is “overdue and necessary.”
The only product tested free of phthalates was Polar Raspberry Lime Seltzer.
Remarks were not quickly answered by General Mills, a company whose brands include Yoplait, Annie’s, and Cheerios. Wendy’s and Burger King did not answer similar queries right away.
Del Monte and Chicken of the Sea both stated that they get identical guarantees from their suppliers and do not add phthalates to their meals. Del Monte added that phthalates are “widespread in the environment.”
According to McDonald’s and Gerber, they follow laws that demand thorough testing for toxins in packaging.
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