The image of many people using foam boxes, plastic boxes and paper bowls for food is no longer strange. Regardless of whether at home or at restaurants, foam boxes, plastic boxes, paper bowls are indispensable items. This habit is deeply ingrained in everyone's life.
You may not know, Vietnam is the country with the 92nd highest cancer rate in the world, 159.7 people will have cancer for every 100,000 people. An alarming number, when living habits and eating habits push us closer to the disease of the century.
Even simply storing food in any material will become the cause of your health decline. If you don't want to get sick, you need to know the notes when using foam boxes, plastic boxes or paper food bowls to improve your quality of life.
Foam boxes are very light, because they are made from polystyrene (PS) plastic with 95% air and the remaining 5% PS.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh (Institute of Food and Biotechnology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology) commented that: “When using a styrofoam box for hot food, the styrene and ethylbenzene contained in the box will escape and stick to it. food, and following food into the body causing harm to consumers. Styrene is known to be a toxic substance that can cause cancer and neurological diseases such as loss of concentration, memory loss, limited senses, ...
More warning about the harmful effects of storing hot food in styrofoam boxes, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Hong Con, former lecturer of Chemistry Department, University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, added: Food The hotter it is, the more monostyrene, a toxin contained in PS plastic, is released, causing damage to organs in the body. Not only with high temperature, PS plastic from styrofoam box when encountering grease, salt, acid all produces toxins.
Before these harmful effects, there will be some notes when using foam boxes for food as follows:
1. Don't overuse the foam box
To ensure health safety, as a direct user, you should refuse to use styrofoam boxes containing hot foods, drinks, greasy, acidic foods (saltards, salads, etc.) slices mixed with vinegar, ...).
In case you run a business, you are reluctant to use styrofoam boxes, only cold and cold foods can be stored. However, in the long run, you should change to a safer container like bagasse box, paper box
2. Do not use in the microwave
The mistake happens when you want to save time and leave the whole box of spinning foam in the microwave.
When choosing sponge product bowlplease note cannot withstand the temperature in the microwave. Firstly, the styrofoam box is melted, secondly, the monostyrene poison in PS plastic penetrates into the food. It is dangerous to eat.
3. Use a temporary foam box only
The purpose of producing foam boxes is to serve the needs of takeaway restaurants. Therefore, it is not suitable for storing food for too long. Because of the temporary nature, when you buy it, you should transfer the food to another type of box to ensure health safety.
4. Choose a quality foam box
Quality foam box (Hunufa)
Toxic dioctin phthalate exists in poor quality styrofoam boxes, directly affecting children's sex hormones. Accordingly, boys tend to be "feminized", and girls will have early puberty. Therefore, if you have no other choice but a foam box, look to buy products at reputable, quality-assured places.
If you have not found a supplier of quality foam boxes, you should consult immediately at HUNUFA VIETNAM CO., LTD. HUNUFA is a company specializing in manufacturing disposable products that ensure quality - prestige and elevate your brand to a new level.
>>> Read more: What is foam plastic?
II. Use plastic items, plastic food containers
1. Dangers of using plastic containers for hot food
Visually, we can't tell that plastic food containers contain harmful substances called oligomers - at 70°C, they release and mix with food.
Scientists from the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Massachusetts (USA) studied 100,000 people who regularly ate takeout food in plastic containers. The results showed that they all had higher levels of PFA in their blood than those who cooked at home or ate on the spot.
PFAs are popular in the food industry because of their impermeability and durability. If we ingest high doses, these chemicals can trigger liver and thyroid disease. They are also responsible for infertility, cancer and high cholesterol.
2.Note the use of plastic items, plastic boxes
- Food is still hot, do not put it in a plastic container right away: as mentioned earlier, when hot, plastic will release toxins. For those of you who lack Experience in bringing lunch to work, don't rush to put it in while the food is still hot. Therefore, wait for the food to cool down a bit before putting it in a plastic container.
- Do not reuse old, scratched plastic boxes: old plastic boxes, after many uses appear many scratches and scratches. Scratched plastic containers are a favorite place for bacteria and disease-causing microorganisms to grow. In addition, with the condition of the box, it is difficult for us to clean. To be on the safe side, it's better to stop using it and buy a new box.
- Single-use plastic containers should not be used more than once: there are many types of disposable plastic containers on the market today. Most of the restaurants and eateries use it. This type of box is made from PS or synthetic plastic, PET plastic. They are recommended to be used only once, if reused, can produce many harmful substances such as phthalates, styrene, dioxins, cadmium, ...
Therefore, it is not advisable to save plastics like these, only use them once and then discard them.
Food is still hot, do not put it in a plastic container right away: as mentioned earlier, when hot, plastic will release toxins. For those of you who lack Experience in bringing lunch to work, don't rush to put it in while the food is still hot. Therefore, wait for the food to cool down a bit before putting it in a plastic container.
- Do not reuse old, scratched plastic boxes: old plastic boxes, after many uses appear many scratches and scratches. Scratched plastic containers are a favorite place for bacteria and disease-causing microorganisms to grow. In addition, with the condition of the box, it is difficult for us to clean. To be on the safe side, it's better to stop using it and buy a new box.
- Do not use single-use plastic containers for many times: there are many types of disposable plastic containers on the market today. Most of the restaurants and eateries use it. This type of box is made from PS or synthetic plastic, PET plastic. They are recommended to be used only once, if reused, can produce many harmful substances such as phthalates, styrene, dioxins, cadmium, ...
Therefore, it is not advisable to save plastics like these, only use them once and then discard them.
- Do not store foods with high acidity, high acidity: acidic foods have the ability to release toxins from the plastic container to the outside, in direct contact with the food. Therefore, it is not recommended to store and store acidic foods with plastic containers or plastic containers.
- Choose plastic boxes with clear origin and good quality: instead of using poor quality plastic, you can buy quality plastic at reputable manufacturers and sellers.
Don't miss out on the details of: Comparison of hard plastic and single-use plastic containers
III. Use a paper bowl
1. What happens when the paper bowl contains hot food?
To make paper bowls, manufacturers will use technology in combination with melamine, urea or phenol. They have the effect of making the paper waterproof. These types of pulp will not dissolve in normal temperature, but only dissolve when meeting high temperature conditions of about 40 - 70 degrees Celsius.
According to engineer Nguyen Kim Hue, Institute of Paper and Cellulo Industry, there are two main types of paper used to make disposable paper bowls: paper coated with water-resistant plastic outside and paper containing water-resistant glue.
Nowadays, disposable paper food containers are widely developed because of convenience, as well as environmental friendliness. However, if it is paper with plastic components or coated with a waterproof plastic outside, when holding hot food, it is easy to be released, releasing toxins.
Therefore, experts recommend not to use this type of cup to hold drinks above 40 degrees Celsius.
2. Note the use of paper food bowls
With paper bowls, like other paper containers, they should only be used once and then discarded, not used.
- Hot foods that have just been sautéed, cooked, and fried when taken out are drilled into a paper box. First, you put it in a tray, wait for it to cool, and then put it in the container. Because hot grease has a high temperature of 300 degrees Celsius, oil more than 100 degrees Celsius, added immediately will destroy the plastic coating inside.
- Paper bowls with torn plastic film should not be used. Because when there is no plastic film, the food will directly absorb into the paper. But paper is an environment containing many types of bacteria, and there are many types of anti-mold, moisture-proof, bleaching chemicals ... so it is easy to mix in food.
- Do not put paper bowls, paper boxes in the microwave. Heat radiation from microwave ovens release toxins of plastic film and paper out, contact with unhealthy food.
With the proliferation of takeout services, as a shop owner or a consumer, you should keep in mind the notes on using foam boxes, plastic boxes and paper bowls for food to be proactive protect your own health and a relative.
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