Tips for handling food packaging
It is getting warmer. The way food is handled in the household should be checked. How should one treat open packaging? First of all, all food packaging should be safe. However, it can happen that unwanted substances from packaging materials penetrate into the food. In order to prevent this, the German Consumer Advice Centre has compiled tips such as the following on shopping for and preparing food.
- Avoid complex packaging with little content, such as just a few slices of sausage fanned out in plastic packaging, or individually packaged sweets. The larger the contact area between food and packaging, the greater the risk that undesirable substances will be transferred to the food.
- Packaging is intended for single use. Do not use yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, ice boxes or other packaging for freezing or even for heating anything in the microwave. Don’t fill them up with any hot food leftovers either.
Do not buy packs in which meat juice has collected, because there is a risk of contamination and unwanted material transfer. - Meat may become rancid prematurely when frozen in the packaging. So do not freeze it directly in the modified atmosphere (protective gas) packaging. The packaging material and the protective gas mixture are not intended for this purpose.
- It is better to prepare ready meals in microwaveable dishes made of glass or china. Only heat products in the packaging if the packaging is expressly labelled as suitable for this purpose . Both the corresponding wattage and the heating time should be indicated on the packaging. This is because heating increases the risk of unwanted substances from packaging being released into the food.
- Avoid packaging with lots of printing on it and do not place food on the outside of printed packaging, such as a baked product on a bakery bag. Give preference to products with an inner bag.
- Avoid recycled cartons that do not have any barrier, such as an inner bag or coating. Transfer the products to another container in the household.
- Give preference to glass packaging, As this is where material transfer is lowest.
