fact sheet

Reducing your chemical exposure

Food packaging and other types of food contact articles can transfer chemicals into your food. This process is also known as migration. Some of the migrating chemicals are known to be hazardous, while many have never been tested for their toxicity or their identities are unknown. Therefore, reducing chemical exposures from food contact materials by choosing inert or low-migrating materials is a good idea. Here we provide an overview of resources where you can find very practical advice that is based on the most current scientific understanding.

Practical Advice for Reducing Chemical Exposures

The Silent Spring Institute gives very comprehensive, practical advice on how to reduce chemical exposures in your diet, ranging from what food contact materials to choose to how to cook your foods.

Fact sheet by the Health and Environment Alliance HEAL on Food contact materials and chemical contamination (pdf download)

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations on food additives and child health (recommendations in the last paragraph):

The Guardian discusses alternatives to plastic clingfilm in the kitchen.

Baltic Environmental Forum Germany’s brochure provides introduction and overview of hazardous chemicals in food contact materials (FCMs), common material types, and tips for reducing exposure.

CHEM Trust developed a website with advice for consumers on avoiding exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in food contact materials and articles

Natural Resources Defense Council’s background information on the food contact chemical bisphenol A (BPA), and some practical recommendations on how to it (recommendations in the last paragraph)

The Environmental Working Group provides handy consumer guides on many different topics, from food to cosmetics, from healthy eating to healthy living, from drinking water to sea food—all based on the most current scientific understanding.

BizNGO’s Guide to purchasing PFAS-Free Food Service Ware (i.e. fast food packaging without fluorinated substances)

Episode of the German television show Pur+ explores chemicals in plastic food packaging and their effects on health

Food Packaging Forum raises
awareness for safe food packaging. By relaying information on health
hazards potentially originating
from food packaging, we aim to
protect public health.

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The Food Packaging Forum Foundation is a science communication organization that provides independent and balanced information on issues related to food packaging and health. In doing so, the Foundation addresses a broad range of stakeholders including business decision makers, regulators, media and communication experts, scientists and consumers.

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