A kitchen that boards has a drawer up to numerous tuppers with the tapas on the other hand. Although it is not the only place, we open the fridge and find even more stacked: some keep the leftovers of noon, others contain freshly taken food from their original container. Behind this daily life – so assumed that goes unnoticed – hides an uncomfortable question: are we storing our food well?
The plastic under suspicion. Light, cheap, resistant: plastic became the great ally of modern cuisine. However, recent studies call their safety when they come into contact with food.
A BBC report He explained That thousands of chemicals are part of their composition and that some can migrate to food, especially when they come into contact with fatty, acid or hot foods. The problem is not only the food we keep, but also the use we give: the microwave, the dishwasher or the rayons due to repeated use accelerate the release of compounds.
And microplastics. To them is added another invisible problem. As Delish magazine has pointed outtuppers release microplastics, tiny particles that have already been found in blood, lungs and even human placenta.
A health problem. The debate about tuppers is not a simple kitchen detail: what is at stake is hormonal health. Many of the compounds that migrate from food plastics are classified as endocrine disruptors, substances capable of altering the balance of our hormones.
The best known case is bisphenol A (BPA), used for decades in rigid plastics and linked to fertility and development problems. The European Food Security Authority (EFSA) recently reviewed its safety and reduced tolerable intake at a level 20,000 times lower than the previous one. Something similar happens with phthalates, employees to give flexibility to plastic and also associated with hormonal and reproductive alterations, As the BBC has detailed.
Plans b. However, trusting alternatives is not a guarantee either. The Guardian He has warned that compounds used as BPA substitutes – the so -called BPS and BPF – have similar effects on the body. AND, According to a study cited by The I Papermore than 3,600 chemicals of plastic containers present in humans have been identified, many of them barely studied. Therefore, some expert voices are overwhelming. Lisa Zimmerman, from Food Packaging Forum, summarized it like this For the same medium: “If you care about your health, you should throw your plastic tuppers and use glass or steel.”
The stations also influence. Beyond chemicals, summer heat adds another threat: bacteria. In statements collected by El Confidencialdietitian Judit Carreira, from the Sant Pau Hospital, explained that high temperatures favor food poisoning.
Its advice is clear: transport the taperes in thermal bags or portable refrigerators, avoid exposing them to the sun and, above all, separating raw cooked in the fridge to prevent cross contamination. “When you return from the supermarket, the meat and the raw fish should be removed from the container and stored in a clean taper,” He has insisted. He also remembered the four basic food security rules: clean, separate, cook and cool.
So, throw all my tuppers? It is not about emptying the kitchen, but of changing habits. Various media They coincide In a series of recommendations:
- Avoid reheating in plastic: although the container indicates “suitable for microwave”, heat accelerates chemical migration.
- Reserve them only for cold or dry foods, never for oily, acid or hot meals.
- Replace them if they are scratched, deformed or with persistent smell.
- Opt for glass, steel or ceramics for hot meals or prolonged conservation.
Now, not all alternatives are perfect. Ceramics, although it is considered safe if it is certified, can be a problem in cases of artisanal productions. The mail reported a few months ago The case of a family of Getxo (Vizcaya) poisoned with lead after drinking for years of an enameled ceramic jug bought in Andalusia. Lead, prohibited in pottery since the 60s, can cause abdominal pain, anemia or neurological alterations.
An easier life, at risk. It is true that tuppers have made our lives easier, but they have also exposed us to a chemical soup not yet known. Science still investigates the cumulative effects, but there is consensus on something simple: heat, fat and plastic do not combine well.
Perhaps the true luxury of modern cuisine is not accumulating containers of all sizes, but choosing containers that take care of our health.
Image | Unspash
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