Plastic Wrap Concerns and Keeping Food Covered
KEEPING FOOD COVERED
All food should be covered to prevent contamination by bacteria, oxidation and loss of moisture. The cheapest and most environmentally friendly way to store food is to put it in a china or glass dish and cover it with its own lid or a plate. Ceramic and hard plastic are also good materials formost foods.
Greaseproof paper and waxed paper make useful coverings, especially for fatty foods, such as cheese. Aluminium foil is safe for all but extremely acidic foods, and paper bags are good for storing mushrooms.
PLASTIC WRAP CONCERNS
The use of plastic wrap, in the form of food packaging and cling film, has become a controversial issue because some of the chemical components (called plasticizers) that are used to make it are known to transfer from the wrap to the food; these substances may be harmful to health.
Plastic wrap must not come into direct contact with fatty foods, such as cheese, butter, or meat with visible surface fat, as the toxins in plasticizers are fat-soluble. Plastic-wrapped foods also pick up hormone-disrupting chemicals (HDCs) that mimic the action of the female sex hormone, oestrogen. HDCs have been linked with rising human breast and testicular cancer, as well as declining male fertility, so, where possible, it is advisable to buy food that is packaged in glass or paper.