Foodservice Packaging and… Landfills / Municipal Solid Waste

/in

The most persistent environmental myth about foodservice packaging concerns its role in the solid waste stream, and particularly that which ends up in landfills. Year after year, data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows that paper and plastic foodservice packaging products make up a tiny portion – under two percent by weight! – of the municipal solid waste sent to landfills in the United States. Compare that to other items that end up in landfills:

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (November 2020) Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2018 Tables and Figures.
Updated March 2021

Foodservice Packaging and… Fluorochemicals

/in

Foodservice packaging is made from a wide variety of materials. These products go through rigorous testing to ensure that they meet stringent regulations, ensuring the safe delivery of foodservice items to consumers.

However, there has been some confusion over the safety of some chemicals used in the manufacture of paper foodservice packaging, particularly claims that certain coatings are “toxic” and dangerous to human health and the environment. All Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals are not the same and should not be treated the same.  The truth is…

    • Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of over 3,000 synthetic, man-made chemicals. They are also referred to as “polyfluorinated chemicals” (PFCs). There are variations within this large class of chemicals, including their properties, toxicity and intended use.
    • Certain PFAS may safely be used in some paper foodservice packaging items likes wraps, food containers and plates to prevent oil, grease and water from leaking through the package onto skin, clothing, furniture, etc.
    • Two common sub-categories of PFAS include:
        • “Long chain” or “C8” chemicals, since they have 8 or more carbons in their structure. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) are two examples. It should be noted that PFOA and PFOS — the subject of much attention these days by regulators, the media and environmental groups —  were not used in food packaging applications. In addition, long chain PFAS chemistries were voluntarily phased out and are no longer allowed in the U.S., Canada and other parts of the world.
        • “Short chain” or “C6” chemicals, since they have 6 or less carbons in their structure. Manufacturers of these newer chemicals — like all chemicals that may come in contact with food — submit their specific formulations to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Health Canada and other appropriate regulatory agencies for rigorous review.
    • In August 2020, the U.S. FDA announced a voluntary phase-out plan for a certain type of short-chain per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), that contain 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (6:2 FTOH), which may be found in certain food contact substances used as grease-proofing agents on paper and paperboard food packaging.
    • Other PFAS chemicals, with proper FDA Food Contact Notifications (FCNs), may continue to be used.
    • While some paper foodservice packaging may continue to use approved PFAS chemicals, other packaging items may be manufactured without the use of them. As non-PFAS alternatives are introduced, performance, price and market availability are all factors that will impact their broader use and acceptance
    • Unfortunately, testing for PFAS chemicals remains inconsistent. Recent studies tested for the presence of fluorine to determine whether PFAS was used in food packaging. While the test may be an indicator of the use of PFAS, it does not differentiate between “long chain” or “short chain” PFAS, and it may not provide accurate results. The presence of fluorine does not mean the presence of PFAS.

Foodservice Packaging and… Styrene

/in

Foodservice packaging is made from a wide variety of materials. These products go through rigorous testing to ensure that they meet stringent regulations, ensuring the safe delivery of foodservice items to consumers.

However, there has been some confusion over the safety of polystyrene with the inclusion of “styrene” in the National Toxicology Program’s (NTP) 12th Report on Carcinogens in 2011.

Styrene is naturally present in foods such as strawberries, peaches, cinnamon, beef and coffee and is produced in the processing of foods such as beer, wine and cheese. It is also used to make polystyrene, a material used to make some foodservice packaging.

Polystyrene has been used in foodservice products like foam coffee cups, takeout containers and cutlery for more than five decades. During that time, polystyrene has been reviewed by various regulatory agencies and scientific bodies, which have deemed it safe for use in contact with food.

The NTP stated in its own report that “It is important to note that the reports do not present quantitative assessments of carcinogenic rise…Listing in the report does not establish that such substances present a risk to persons in their daily lives. Such formal risk assessments are the purview of the appropriate federal, state, and local health regulatory and research agencies.” So NTP did not conclude that styrene or plastic foodservice packaging made with styrene present any risk to human health.

Following the NTP report publication, several additional statements were released confirming the safety of polystyrene:

    • The U.S. National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences noted “Styrene should not be confused with polystyrene (styrofoam). Although styrene, a liquid, is used to make polystyrene, which is a solid plastic, we do not believe that people are at risk from using polystyrene products.”
    • The toxicologist who heads NTP stated “Let me put your mind at ease right away about Styrofoam,” noting that levels of styrene from polystyrene containers “are hundreds if not thousands of times lower than have occurred in the occupational setting…In finished products, certainly styrene is not an issue.”

Furthermore, in 2013 the American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Foodservice Packaging Group provided updated styrene migration data to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The data show that current exposures to styrene from the use of polystyrene food contact products remain extremely low, with the estimated daily intake calculated at 6.6 micrograms per person per day. This is more than 10,000 times below the safety limit set by FDA (the FDA’s acceptable daily intake value of styrene is calculated to be 90,000 micrograms per person per day).

For more general information on styrene, please visit the Styrene Information and Research Center website at  www.styrene.org and www.youknowstyrene.org.

Updated November 2013