Fast Food Health Concerns For its Packaging

The trend for fast food is increasing rapidly. It is liked by kids, elders, and people of all age groups. Its main reason is its scrumptious taste and the fact that it can be prepared and served quickly. You can get fast food from many places like sit-down restaurants, fast food bars, counter service, take-out, drive-thru, and even delivery. Fast food is inexpensive, convenient to make, and tastes good. The manufacturers pack it in attractive food packaging to make it more tempting for the consumers. 

However, the problem lies with its ingredients. It is made from cheap ingredients like high-fat meat, refined grains, additive sugar,  instead of using nutritional ingredients like lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Fast food is often high in sodium content that is used as a preservative to make food flavorful and satisfying. Due to such health concerns, nutritionists usually recommend avoiding fast food items. 

Fast-Food Packaging could be Dangerous:

A new study found that food and beverage boxes used by the majority of fast-food chains are packed full of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). It's a harmful chemical that penetrates the food items. Even the most renowned food chains like McDonald's, Burger King, and Starbucks, etc use such types of food boxes and beverage packaging. Their food tray sleeves, French fry cartons, and dessert boxes bulk are loaded with these dangerous chemicals making food unhygienic to eat. 

They are a combination of carbon, fluorine, and some other chemicals used to create non-stick surfaces, both on cookware and packaging, and can easily leach into the food item. As a part of the research investigation, 400 samples were tested. It was concluded that more than one-third of takeout containers wholesale contained PFASs. Moreover, one-fifth of the paperboard used to hold fries; whether in the form of French fry trays or fries carton was contaminated with these substances. In was also found in abundance in bread wrappers, sandwich packaging, and frozen food boxes wholesale.

Fast Food Health Concerns vs. Biodegradable Packaging:

Eco friendly food packaging seems the best idea. It is convenient to use, recyclable, and producing minimum waste. However, recent studies have concluded that these compostable wholesale food boxes, including paper plates and fast food containers, contain short-chain per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, to repel water and grease. These are highly-fluorinated chemicals that are not sustainable and resist degradation. They remain in the environment for long. Therefore they should never be used in any packaging product which ends up in landfills. The eco friendly boxes for food are lined internally with this material. It may penetrate the food items making them unsafe to eat. However, more research is still needed to conduct the after-effects of these substances on human health.

Food Packaging without PFASs:

To address health concerns, the food chains should use such packaging which is free from PFASs. Some of the commonly used options in this regard are:

·         Bamboo

·         Clear PLA

·         PLA Coated Paper

·         PET

·         Polypropylene or Oriented Polystyrene (OPS)

·         Aluminum

·         Paper

·         Foam

Each of them has its own benefits and side-effects. On one hand, if they are PFAS-free on the other hand they may prove a big threat to the environment. Most of these are some form of plastic. They are not recyclable or compostable. Others like clear PLA, PLA coated paper or PET has heating issues. They are non-microwavable and have low heat tolerance. Even if you go for Polypropylene, OPS or polyethylene coated corrugated food boxes, they become hard to recycle due to the presence of polyethylene coating. Thus the pros and cons of every type of packaging run side by side.

Eat Healthy, Package Healthy; Live Healthy:

To address health concerns, the best way is to ensure a healthy intake. Avoid fast food items and try to consume home-made nutritious food as far as possible. You should be highly concerned about what ingredients are part of your diet. Eat more fruits, vegetables, nut, whole grains, etc, and avoid processed food. Maintaining a healthy take-in is the best way to ensure a healthy living. Another important aspect is related to food packaging. The food boxes to go to in which your items are packed should be perfectly safe to use. It should be free from any toxic chemicals which may penetrate the edibles making them an unhealthy choice. 

Paperboard and cardboard are the most widely used packaging material due to their eco-friendly nature. But most of the packaging made from them contain PFASs. For this, you have to purchase an uncoated paper. Whether you contact any of the packaging box manufacturers or a popular box food company, have a keen look at their practices. Using PFAS-free paperboard to design fast food containers, food subscription boxes, or even custom cardboard lunch boxes are perfectly safe to use.

Eco-friendly boxes are gaining more popularity than ever before due to the many benefits they offer. https://t.co/gMmKNYr6dn#Packaging #FoodBoxes #ECO #ESR #Customized #QualityPackaging #Business #GoCustomBoxes #USA pic.twitter.com/H9gzPmjgFY

— Go Custom Boxes (@gocustomboxesus) April 24, 2020