“Don’t put plastic bags in the refrigerator when you come back from grocery shopping, it is tantamount to chronic suicide, and it will cause cancer…”
In the morning, after Aunt Liu came back from shopping, a message popped up on her phone, saying that the harmful substances in the plastic bags would be transferred into the vegetables, and eating them would be very harmful to the human body. This tweet precisely hurt Aunt Liu’s heart. Every time she came back from shopping, she always put the vegetables in the refrigerator together with the plastic bags for preservation.
1. Putting vegetables in plastic bags in the refrigerator is equal to chronic suicide and will cause cancer?
Ingredients in plastic bags include benzopyrene, plasticizers, phthalates, etc. It is rumored that using plastic bags for food will cause These ingredients in plastic bags are transferred into food, which in turn poses a certain threat to health. The plasticizer contained in it may play an estrogen-like effect when it enters the body, resulting in the impact of endocrine in the body, increasing the risk of breast cancer in women and reproductive disorders in men.
China Business Daily reporters have conducted a special experiment on this. The reporter bought two kinds of polyethylene (PE) with different prices and raw materials from the supermarket. Food storage bags, take out the plastic bags marked with special food bags next to the supermarket shelves. Then, five kinds of vegetables, including cucumbers, cucumbers, baby vegetables, green peppers and cauliflower, were purchased from the vegetable stand, and the vegetables were put into four different plastic bags and stored in the refrigerator for a week.
One week later, the plasticizers in the vegetables were tested by the assessors of the Food and Drug Safety Evaluation Center of the National Federation of Quality Inspection, The results showed that five No plasticizers were detected in the vegetables. (The national standard stipulates that the migration amount of plastic bags should not exceed 0.01mg/kg when they come into contact with food, and the migration amount of this value will not cause contamination to food.)
Shanghai Food Society Food Safety Ma Zhi, director of the professional committee, said that plasticizers generally migrate under the conditions of high temperature, oiliness, and close contact. You only need to buy quality plastic bags through regular channels, and you can use them with confidence. Although it is said that putting vegetables in plastic bags in the refrigerator will not pose a risk of cancer, it is recommended not to do so on a daily basis, mainly for two reasons. 2. Even if it does not cause cancer, it is not recommended to put vegetables in plastic bags directly in the refrigerator When packing vegetables, the bag mouth will not be completely fastened. If you put it directly into the refrigerator, some microorganisms contained in the refrigerator will grow wanton on the surface of the food, which will easily bring some safety hazards.
2. The plastic bag is easy to break after freezing
Put the plastic bag directly into the low temperature freezer, the food may stick to the plastic bag, especially It’s meat, and frozen plastic bags can get very crispy. If the two are separated by direct violence, broken plastic bags are likely to remain on the surface of the food, which is not good for health after eating.
It is recommended that you can buy some self-sealed food preservation bags or fresh-keeping boxes to hold food in daily life, so that Doing this can preserve the freshness of the food to the greatest extent, and at the same time reduce the chance of some health hazards.
The use of plastic bags in a low temperature environment has been explained clearly to everyone. Next, Xiao Ai will show you whether plastic bags can be used in a “hot environment”. Third, can plastic bags hold hot food? Will it lead to the precipitation of harmful things?
Breakfast stalls along the road all put plastic bags into the bowls, and pour hot soup directly into it, isn’t it poisonous? In order to investigate this issue, the Nanjing Xuanwu District Market Supervision Bureau commissioned the Nanjing Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute Jiangsu Provincial Green and Degradable Materials Center to inspect five batches of plastic used in a breakfast shop, a small restaurant and two convenience stores. Bags were sampled.
In order to make the experiment as close to daily life as possible, the researchers used the organic solvent isooctane or 20% ethanol< /strong>, simulate the state of food when it comes into contact with fatty foods such as steamed buns, oil cakes, and fried dough sticks, and place it at a temperature of 40℃ for half an hour.
In addition, when detecting possible toxic and harmful components in plastic bags, soak the plastic bags in hot water at 60℃ for 2 hours to simulate contact with hot food. state at the time.
The final inspection results show that the sampled plastic bag products meet the standards.
In general, plastic bags labeled “food grade” are acceptable for cooked food. Wang Guizhao, professor of internal medicine at the First Hospital of Harbin Medical University said that what we should be vigilant about is ultra-thin plastic bags, plastic bags with a thickness of less than 0.025 mm >, such plastic bags are prohibited by the state. In particular, some morning markets and roadside stalls may use ultra-thin plastic bags to pack hot food. High temperature and oil are likely to accelerate the integration of plasticizers into food, which is harmful to health after consumption.
Having said so much, many people are said to be confused. How can we use plastic bags in our daily life to be safe? Don’t worry, Xiaoai is here to tell you the precautions for use.
Four points: What should I pay attention to when using plastic bags for food?
< p>For daily use of food in plastic bags, choose food that is marked with “food grade”, and try not to pack food over 100°C. At the same time, be careful not to use plastic bags for a long time Pack food, especially some foods that are rich in oil. When heating food daily, it is best to remove plastic bags, do not cook plastic bags for a long time, to avoid the precipitation of some harmful substances in them. Plastic Bags are a commonly used item in our lives. If they are used incorrectly, they will indeed pose a certain threat to health. It is very necessary to learn how to use them correctly. Extensive use of plastic bags will also have a great impact on the environment. As a human being, we should try our best to reduce the use of plastic bags every day. It is best to bring shopping bags when you go out shopping.
References:
[1] “Plastics for Vegetables” Putting the bag in the refrigerator is equal to chronic suicide? You have to see it clearly”. Popular Science China. 2017.8.16
[2] “Free plastic bags in supermarkets, don’t take them home!”. Quality of Chinese consumer goods Safety.2022.3.26
[3]”Can plastic bags hold hot food?”. Shangguan News.2020.9.23