Shopper’s Guide to Plastics & Food: Cling Wrap

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Shopper’s Guide to Plastics & Food: Cling Wrap

Allison Sloan and Pamela Lundquist
The Green Guide #88/89
Last Updated: Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Cling wrap can be a useful tool in the kitchen when cooking or putting away food. But some commerical wraps and other food packaging are made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which can contain potentially harmful plasticizing chemicals.

The worst plastic, from both a health and environmental standpoint, is #3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride, or vinyl), which commonly packages foods and liquids. To soften PVC into these flexible forms, various toxic chemicals are added as "plasticizers." Traces of these chemicals, known as adipates and phthalates, can leak out of PVC into foods.

Too Close for Comfort

A 1998 article in Consumer Reports announced that Consumers Union (CU) scientists had found that cheddar cheese packaged in clear PVC cling wrap contained levels of an adipate called DEHA (di-2-ethylhexyl adipate) that raised health concerns. Because animal studies had shown that DEHA causes reproductive problems, birth defects and liver tumors in mice, CU called for more investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) into plasticizing chemicals and their health impacts.

"Adipates [and phthalates] simply haven’t been tested for their hormone effects, since these tests weren’t an issue a generation ago," says Ned Groth, Ph.D., a senior scientist at CU. Dr. Groth notes that though the FDA is aware that these compounds are leaching into food, there is no conclusive toxicity data about them.

"It takes an overwhelming amount of data to overturn an FDA regulation," he adds, indicating that any change in policy may be many years away.

In the meantime, since PVC cling-wrapped foods are widely available, most of us can easily be getting exposed to plasticizing chemicals through food wrapping every day. Children are particularly at risk since they’re often more vulnerable to, and are exposed to higher amounts of chemicals than adults are. Phthalate and adipate studies have shown harm to animal young, especially those prenatally exposed.

Of growing concern is the role of these chemicals as hormone disruptors, chemicals that interfere with normal functioning of hormonal systems. Fetuses and children are most vulnerable to hormone disruption because these systems are still developing in their young bodies.

It’s not just cling wrap we need to worry about. In some cases, packaging made from PVC contains over 50% plasticizers, added to increase flexibility of this inherently brittle plastic. PVC packaging for food can include plastic trays in boxed cookies or chocolates, candy bar wrappers, and bottles. If you can’t avoid PVC-wrapped products, you can reduce your exposure to DEHA by slicing or scraping off a thin layer from cheeses and meats. Store the rest in a glass, ceramic, or less-toxic plastic container.