Tuesday 14 October 2008

Re-using packaging

Wednesday 5 May 2004

mineral water

Many people re-use the containers that their food comes in, or the wrapping around it. Some re-uses of food packaging may be perfectly safe, but often packaging is designed to be used once with one food and it might not be safe to use it with others, or for a different purpose.

Manufacturers must ensure that packaging is safe to use for its immediate intended purpose, a yoghurt pot must be suitable for containing yoghurt, for example. However, it is not a legal requirement that manufacturers should try to ensure the safety of their packaging for uses beyond what it is designed for. So it's important to think about how you re-use food containers and wrapping materials.

If containers or wrappings are used in a way they weren't designed for, chemicals could transfer from them into the food in greater amounts than would otherwise be expected.

You should also be careful about re-using packaging with a different type of food to the one it contained when you bought it. For example, people sometimes re-use water bottles to hold fruit juice or alcohol. Because of their acidity or alcohol content, these drinks may lead to more chemicals moving from the plastic into the drink than would occur with water.

Some people also use ice-cube trays to freeze hot food, such as pureed baby food. This is a useful way of storing baby food but it is a good idea to cool the food before putting it in the trays. Ice-cube trays are intended for use with cold water, so it would be safer to cold fill them. Chemicals are less likely to transfer between packaging and food at lower temperatures and once frozen there would be very little risk of this happening.

There are a number of points you should consider if you're thinking about re-using packaging:

Always follow the manufacturer's instructions on plastic containers. If these don't say the container can be re-used, use something else that you know can be used safely.
Re-use containers and packaging on a like-for-like basis. For example if a container was used for cold food when you bought it, don't put hot food in it when you re-use it.
Only microwave food in containers or tubs that are clearly labelled 'microwave safe'.
Only put containers you want to use with food into a dishwasher if they are clearly labelled 'dishwasher safe'.
Do not re-use empty cans or tins to cook or store food.
Always cool pureed food before putting it in an ice-cube tray.

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Re-using packaging

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