A new study has found that thousands of chemicals from food packaging materials are making their way into the human body, with over 3,601 chemicals identified in humans.
This includes 100 chemicals labeled as “high concern for human health” due to their potential to cause harm such as cancer, organ damage, or endocrine disruption.
Another 44 chemicals were categorized as having “medium concern.”
The study, which was published in Nature, looked at approximately 14,000 food contact chemicals (FCCs) and found 25% of them to be present in humans.
These FCCs migrate from packaging into food and ultimately enter the human body through ingestion.
The researchers noted that despite the large number of chemicals found, many of them have never been tested for toxicity. This gap in knowledge makes it difficult to assess the safety of food packaging materials currently used.
What They Found
The research team in Switzerland conducted an in-depth analysis of existing data from biomonitoring programs and exposome databases. They compared this data with known food contact chemicals to identify which substances were present in human samples such as blood and urine.
- 3,601 chemicals were found in humans
- 100 chemicals were identified as being of “high concern” for human health
- The chemicals included:
- PFAS
- bisphenols (like BPA)
- metals (like lead, cadmium, and cobalt)
- phthalates
- volatile organic compounds (like formaldehyde)
- and more
Many of these chemicals are linked to a wide variety of long-term health concerns, including cancer, hormone disruption and other serious issues.
What Are FCCs?
Food contact chemicals (FCCs) are substances intentionally or unintentionally added to materials that come into contact with food.
These materials include everything from machinery to packaging. The chemicals can leach into the food through a variety of mechanisms, including heat, acidity, or prolonged contact with the material.
Some of these chemicals are designed to improve the performance or durability of packaging, while others are unintended byproducts from the manufacturing process.
Food contact chemicals are ubiquitous in modern food packaging, meaning that most people are exposed to them on a regular basis.
Lagging Regulation
While the FDA has some regulations on food packaging, they are minimal. Plastic itself—which is one of the most widely-used FCCs—is largely unregulated and contain thousands of different chemicals.
Many FCCs are approved with minimal oversight under the FDA’s “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) rule, which permits their use in food contact with limited agency review. U.S. regulations do not mandate that the FDA reassess a chemical based on new scientific findings once it has been approved for food contact.
The study states “the challenges in regulating FCMs (Food Contact Materials) and managing the health risks associated with FCCs are diverse and legislation often does not keep up with the latest scientific understanding.”
What You Can Do
Until regulation catches up with the science, here are some practical steps you can take to minimize your exposure to food packaging chemicals:
- Minimize packaged food and eat whole foods as much as possible. I know it’s difficult (maybe even impossible) to avoid packaged food completely, but minimizing packaged food whenever possible can help decrease your overall exposure to these chemicals.
- Buy food packaged in glass when you can. Glass is one of the safest materials for food storage, so look for glass packaging at the grocery store when you can, especially for acidic products (like tomato sauce).
- Use plastic-free (or low-plastic) food storage containers. Opt for stainless steel or glass containers, especially for storing acidic or fatty foods, which can accelerate chemical leaching. Here’s a list of recommended brands. To save money, you can save the glass containers you buy at the store, remove the label, and use them as food storage.
- Pack your lunch. Bringing your own lunch that’s packed in safer storage containers can prevent you from having to buy something packaged on-the-go. You might want to meal-prep at the beginning of the week to make things more efficient and reduce stress.
- Avoid microwaving food in plastic containers. If you are using plastic for storage, at least try to move your food to something like a glass or ceramic bowl before microwaving. Heat can increase the likelihood of chemicals migrating from the packaging into food.
- Limit canned foods. The lining of cans often contains BPA or similar chemicals.When possible, choose fresh or frozen alternatives. TetraPak is a pretty good option too, especially for things like soups.
- Transfer packaged food to non-toxic containers. Although I don’t know how much of a difference this makes, transferring your food to a different container when you do have to buy a packaged version may help to reduce the amount of chemicals that migrate to your food before you eat it.
With over 100 chemicals already identified as being of high concern for human health, the need for further research and stronger regulations is clear.
But until then, there’s a lot you can do as an individual. By making conscious choices about the types of packaging and materials we use, we can take immediate steps to reduce exposure to these potentially harmful substances.
For more information, check out the Nature study, entitled “Evidence for Widespread Human Exposure to Food Contact Chemicals.”
