When I’m hobbling together dinner, the last thing that’s on my mind is the toxicity food packaging. I’m focused on getting enough vegetables, avoiding processed sugar and food additives. I think most people feel the same way. It’s hard enough to eat healthy food, and now we have to think about toxic chemicals that may be leaching into our canned vegetables?! Bah!
Fret not, the list below is a simple and effective way to avoid the most harmful toxic chemicals used in food packaging and cookware. With a few simple steps you can significantly protect your health from harmful chemicals.
Fun fact: A study by the Breast Cancer Fund and the Silent Spring Institute found that when families removed food packaging (like canned food etc), the levels of the toxic chemical BPA, dropped by an average of 60%, within three days. Imagine what is possible if we remove most harmful food packaging ingredients from our lives!
1- Fresh or frozen
Avoid canned food when possible, most cans are still lined with the toxic chemical bisphenol A (BPA). Choose frozen, dried or fresh vegetables over canned food (frozen veggies have the same nutritional value as fresh vegetables).
2- Heat food safely
Remove food from packaging before cooking in the microwave or oven.
3- Choose safer cookware
Buy stainless steel or cast iron cookware to avoid unnecessary exposure to cancer-causing PFCs. For an in depth guide on finding safer cookware, read more here.
4- Cook more
Buy whole foods and cook your own food whenever possible.
5- Store safely
Use glass food storage containers, especially for hot foods.
6- Buy in bulk
Buy grains, nuts and other items in bulk and store in glass containers (this also reduces waste).
7- Skip the plastic
Re-use glass jars for easy ‘to-go’ containers. You can find other safe food storage containers here.
8- Homemade snacks
Make your own snacks to avoid packaging. Try my easy “no bake” granola bar recipe here.
9- Avoid pizza boxes
Skip take out pizza and make your own.
10- Simple microwave popcorn
Opt for less toxic microwaveable popcorn.
Beyond voting with your dollar, take the time to email your favorite companies to encourage them to use the safest packaging possible. When companies hear directly from their clients they want to respond to your needs. It’s amazing what a few minutes of calling a customer service line or sending an email can do!
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Great tips Lindsay! You commented on my Roasted Nori recipe and you’re right; you can’t buy Roasted Nori without toxic plastic packaging. So much better to make food at home for many reasons but avoiding toxic packaging is definitely one of the top reasons.
It is so hard to avoid all plastic food packaging but these are great, doable tips! Glass to-go containers are not always practical with kids but stainless steel is unbreakable and dishwasher safe! It requires an initial investment but they last forever.
I just love this article. So full of information. Thanks.