I view myself as a person that tries to logically make sense of things learned or observed throughout my moderately long life. As a child in the 1960’s I recall my father saying “everything is going to plastic.” A few years after that I heard an older lady, which I was doing yard work for, refer to sheets of plastic as polyethylene. Given that bit of information I surmised that plastic must be petroleum based; because my oldest brother had once bestowed some gas station humor upon me by asking: Who pumped ethyl? I think the “poly” part stands for the many different chemical blends used to make various types of plastic products. During college I took a horticulture canning course where our professor informed us that glass was the only chemically inert packaging material that will not react with its contents, and that wax (lipid) lined food containers where the next most food-safe. As an Animal Science major at that time, I knew that Ruff-Tabs (ground plastic) had been trademarked in 1967 as artificial roughage for feeding to ruminant livestock; so I assumed plastic was food-safe. Ruff-Tabs usage never took off due to not being economically practical. Thinking logically, I realized that livestock and humans had not evolved consuming plastic residues, nor a multitude of product enhancing feed or food additives. But, who was I to question such learned chemical scientist, government regulators, veterinarians and medical doctors? Finally, a Nutrition professor helped shed some light on my dilemma of what to believe by enlightened his class to the fact that food-safe judgments are made on a benefits verses risks basis. Today; after about 37 years have gone by, my wife has observed that I have become evermore “cynical” due to deciding that a big part of the benefit side of the food-safe equation is economic considerations. She’s a RN, and I do get her to think about her harsh judgment of me by asking: Why are allergic reactions to food and the incidence of some cancers continuing to increase? It strikes me as odd that tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soy are controlled to prevent trace amounts from cross-contaminating other foods, while inorganic plastics residues are everywhere and of no apparent concern whatsoever. Perhaps the difference is that one group causes acute reactions and chronic exposure reactions are harder to pinpoint the cause of. Or, maybe long-term plastic residue ingestion is triggering more reactions to real food. The plastics industry is gargantuan. I recently read that 5% of the petroleum & natural gas consumed in the U.S. goes into plastics manufacturing. Therefore, “Plastic Inc.” can afford to lobby elected officials so they will persuade regulators to base their food-safe decisions only on proven health hazards. And, logically that’s as things should be. Unfortunately, no one is willing or able to put up the money needed to research every new plastic blend or how stable it remains under various real-time environmental conditions. On the medical side, increased rates of allergies and treatable cancers equates to more business. Further, since ingesting plastic residues in the short term seldom causes any ill effects this matter would require long-term controlled studies in order to even semi-scientifically prove or disprove anything. Still further, people live in different environments and age differently so there’s no real way of knowing exactly what practices would be the healthiest. On the plus-side of plastics, we are only ingesting trace amounts of various types at a time. On the down-side, we are ingesting those minuscule amounts on a daily basis (even some essential trace minerals become toxic above certain levels), and since residues are of minute particle size plastic chemicals can readily enter our system’s and maybe even combine with other accumulating chemicals. Admittedly, I’m only guessing that inorganic plastic chemicals accumulate in the human body. Perhaps these substances merely cause some people to experience health problems because they are being introduced into their biological system on a daily basis; acting as a daily dose of ill-medication. I realize that at this point I might be starting to sound a little unbelievable, but from what I have read it appears that the vast majority of human history has been dictated by economic considerations. It seems to me that modern societies are willing to pay more, and in more than one way, for convenient food. The need for increased health care might be second high price paid for instant food gratification.
Listed below are some ways we ingest plastic residue every day:
Sandwich and freezer storage bags come factory fresh with the expectation that they are totally nonreactive, sanitary primary food containers. Pounding meat, marinating meat and mixing ingredients in plastic bags, or cutting a corner out of them to use as baker’s bags, would all seem to enhance the release of plastic chemicals into food. Freezing then thawing; especially microwave thawing, might also increase plastic movement.
Drinking hot beverages in Styrofoam cups is hard on my mouth: it almost Immediately causes raised bumps below my lower lip. Today, all hot or cold paper cups are laminated with plastic coatings. Plastic cups are used “factory fresh;” just as are all other disposable food eating containers, straws, stirrers or eating utensils.
Teflon is a plastic used to coat non-stick skillets and it does chip off over time. The non-metal spatulas recommended for usage in Teflon skillets will slowly wear down with use.
Meat cutting boards and moving meat boning or trim lines are plastic, and they eventually ware out from repeated knife contact. Like moving trim lines, continuous oven entrance and exit belts are made of interlocking thick plastic. But, unlike meat cutting lines, which are normally straight, continuous oven in-feed and out-feed belts can be configured to turn bends. There are also various plastic guides, sprockets and rollers in both metal and plastic interlocking conveyor belts. Those plastic parts slowly ware off with movement; in minute amounts. On the exit end of continuous ovens hot product contacts belts. Daily sanitation chemicals, which work into the nooks and crannies of interlocking belts, could also be a source of unintended non-food residue product pickup.
Thin plastic fresh meat over-wraps are porous/permeable to oxygen so an eye-appealing bloomed meat color will develop.
Plastic box liners sometimes get caught between pieces of frozen boneless meat; then the plastic is hard to remove because most further processing is started while raw meat is still in a nearly hard frozen state.
Plastic tine ends in dehairer or defeather machines wear down; as do plastic axle flanges in such equipment and meat mixers. Even commercial steam cookers use plastic drum scrapers.
Ingredients such as vinegar are often shipped in extruded closed-top 55 gallon plastic drums.
Boxed meat sub-primal cuts all use plastic, heat sealed vacuum bags as primary containers.
Some vacuum packages use “shrink-wrap;” which shrinks when momentarily submerged in hot liquid to form a skin-tight plastic film around hotdogs etc. During skinless wiener production batter is cooked in link length twisted tubes; then after chilling links are stripped from plastic, stacked and shrink-wrapped.
Roll-stock film is used to form pouches for the primary packaging of meat sauce or taco filling type items. Side seams are heat sealed at the moment of bag filling, plus meat containing products are packed at around 190F. These restaurant and institutional products are designed to be reheated in boiling water then bags are knife cut to pour into steam table pans.
Deli turkey breast is commercially cooked in bags. Cellulose casings have long been used to form-cook bologna chubs, boneless hams etc., but cellulose is an organic product that humans evolved consuming. There are even some frozen retail turkey breast products designed to be cooked in bags from the frozen state.
Laminated wholesale meat cartons are much more common than plastic bag box liners. Both designs of frozen boxed meat shipping container are usually microwave tempered on a conveyor belt; while still in the box. If in-line microwaves are not adjusted properly the corners of meat blocks start to cook and some of the lamination melts then re-solidifies on the cold block exterior. I have also seen where box lamination failed to adhere well to cartons and came off in off-white sheets that stuck to partially frozen coarse ground meat blocks.
Some 55 gallon metal drums and canned food can interiors are coated with food-grade plastics. In the case of canning, the interior cold-spot of cans are heated to 250F in order to kill botulism spores. Does high heat releaser more plastic residue in food? I do not know.
The usage of latex and plastic gloves is widespread at both commercial meat processing plants and retail stores.
I’m sure I missed many other food industry examples, hopefully this post provides some idea of how pervasive human body entering non-organic chemicals can be in modern society.
What do I do about my fears? Since meat processing is my area of expertise I start with wholesale cuts of red meat then produce my own further processed freezer stored convenience items. We stopped buying most canned goods long ago due to their high salt content and overcooked product textures. If anyone can provide more enlightenment; particularly about other segments of the food industry, I would greatly appreciate your input. I am not willing to try and retreat from modern society, but have been able to greatly reduce my family’s exposure to some perceived food threats. “No one takes care of your business like you can.” (Click Here) for a highly believable post about this issue.