A report from Greenpeace International, ‘Are we cooked? The hidden health risks of plastic-packaged ready meals’, explores the health risks posed by plastics and chemical additives in ready meal packaging. The authors analysed 24 peer-reviewed scientific papers and found that plastics used to package ready meals and takeaways are exposing people to harmful chemicals.

The report concluded that the migration of chemicals from the plastic containers into the food is a routine occurrence. Their analysis found that heating plastic ready meal containers in the microwave or oven significantly increases the risk of microplastics and chemicals leaching from the packaging into the food. This was also the case for products that were labelled ‘microwave-safe’ or ‘oven-safe’.

In addition, the report highlights the complexity of chemicals in plastic packaging. Some chemicals are added to plastics to increase their functionality, for example, to make the plastics more flexible, durable, or to add colour. However, other chemicals are created unintentionally during the manufacturing process. These are known as non-intentionally added substances (NIAS), and there is often little to no information on their potential health effects.

While over 4,200 hazardous chemicals are known to be intentionally or unintentionally present in plastics, the majority remain unregulated in plastic packaging. Examples of harmful chemicals that have been found in plastic packaging include certain phthalates and bisphenols, some of which have been classified in the EU as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDCs are chemicals that disrupt the normal functioning of the hormone system. Exposure to EDCs has been linked to adverse health impacts such as certain cancers, reduced fertility, and impaired brain development.

The authors call on policymakers to close the regulatory gaps and to prioritise action on eliminating the use of chemicals that are known to be hazardous, such as EDCs.

For consumers, the report recommends avoiding food in plastic packaging and transferring food to stainless steel for the oven or microwave-safe glass before heating. For more information on reducing your risk of exposure to harmful chemicals in food packaging, check out our webpage.

CHEM Trust continues efforts to ensure that the most hazardous chemicals are removed from food-contact materials, including plastic packaging, in the EU and the UK.

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