Since 1938 Barber & Haskill has been a family owned business serving the Barrie, Midland and Orillia areas. We are dedicated to providing you with the best in products, services and pricing.

Friday, October 16, 2015

Just what does Microwave Safe Really Mean?




Have you ever found yourself standing in front of the microwave in the great debate of “do I heat up last night’s dinner in this handy dandy Tupperware container or do I switch it over to glass? Is there really anything harmful seeping into my food? … Does it really matter? After all, the container does say microwave safe.” 

If you have done any type of online investigating you will very quickly learn the popularity of this question and just how much it has been researched. Many studies done to determine the safety of plastic in your Microwave and exactly what is leaching into your food. So the question I have is this: “what on earth does microwave safe mean”? 


Well, the FDA has a formula that determines what is Microwave safe and what isn’t. “The agency estimates the ratio of plastic surface area to food, how long the container is likely to be in the microwave, how often a person is likely to eat from the container, and how hot the food can be expected to get during microwaving. The scientists also measure the chemicals that leach into food and the extent to which they migrate in different kinds of foods. The maximum allowable amount is 100–1,000 times less per pound of body weight than the amount shown to harm laboratory animals over a lifetime of use. Only containers that pass this test can display a microwave-safe icon, the words “microwavesafe,” or words to the effect that they’re approved for use in microwave ovens.” 

Different numbers are marked on the bottom of plastic containers to determine their FDA ratings such as 2 (HDPE), 4 (LDPE), or 5 (PDF file). DavidSuzuki’s gives us this little jingle: "2, 4, 5 keep yourself alive." He claims that these three types of plastic leach the least amount of toxins and that “#1, #3, #6, and #7 are best purchased in moderation and recycled after ONE use.” 

OK, well that is well and good but there you find yourself still standing in front of your microwave not knowing how to heat up your dinner.

Well according to David Suzuki, “The answer is simple: Do not microwave plastic containers or plastic wrap, ever.” The heating up of plastics can cause toxins to leach into your food” …YIKES! Especially the “take out” food containers! 

The fact that they state “can” instead of “will” may leaving you still contemplating about putting Grandma’s old Tupperware container in the Microwave and getting on with your dinner but why take a chance? Go for a plastic free diet. It will help you reduce your exposure to toxins and lighten your environmental footprint.
Oh, and one last thing to remember…after you have placed your food in a glass container don’t use the plastic splatter cover, use a glass plate

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1 comment :

  1. Took me time to read all the comments, but I really enjoyed the article. It proved to be Very helpful to me and I am sure to all the commenters here! It’s always nice when you can not only be informed, but also entertained!
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    ReplyDelete

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