Question: How do I know that Snapware products are safe for food contact?

Answer: The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) requires that plastics used in food packaging be of greater purity than plastics used for non-food packaging. This is commonly referred to as food grade plastic. Food grade plastic does not contain dyes or recycled plastic deemed harmful to humans. Snapware products are made using only food grade plastics. The plastics used in our products meet the requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) for all food contact excluding actual cooking applications.

For more information regarding the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) TITLE 21--FOOD AND DRUGS, CHAPTER I--FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, PART 177 INDIRECT FOOD ADDITIVES: POLYMERS, Subpart A, Subpart B: Substances for Use as Basic Components of Single and Repeated Use Food Contact Surfaces as it relates to for Snapware products, please visit http://frwebgate2.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=755504484500+7+2+0&WAISaction=retrieve

For to learn more about plastics and food storage safety, visit the American Plastics Council website at www.americanplasticscouncil.org

Question: Are Snapware products safe to use in the microwave?

Answer: From Real Simple Magazine:

Written by Jennifer Rapaport and Adam Bluestein
April 2007

Food: Kitchen Safety

Rumor has it: You know how party guests always seem to gravitate to the kitchen? So do myths and superstitions, which cling to this room like an omelet to the bottom of an old pan. Scrub away those fears with the following facts.

MYTH: “You should never use plastic in the microwave.”

REALITY: When certain plastic containers get hot, plasticizers (additives used to make them flexible) can dissolve in food. Some plasticizers, such as phthalates, have been linked to reproductive problems in laboratory animals, and some phthalates have been banned from children’s toys by the European parliament. But “the effect on humans isn’t clear”, says Anuradha Prakash, Ph.D., an associate professor of food science at Chapman University, in Orange, California, and an authority on microwaves with the Institute of Food Technologists. Phthalates are commonly found in soft plastics, like the kind meat is wrapped in and flexible containers, such as those used for take-out food and yogurt.

Not all plastics run the risk of contaminating hot foods, however. Containers labeled as microwave-safe have passed strict Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for resilience and can withstand repeated use. As for the cellophane wrap that many people lay on top of food to reheat faster and prevent splatters, skip it. The phthalates could migrate to your dinner. Instead, place a vented microwave-safe plastic cover or a white paper towel over the dish.

BOTTOM LINE: Toss out the take-out and delicatessen containers and heat food in plastics that are labeled microwave-safe.

Question: Snapware products are made from plastic. What plastics are they made from?

Answer: Snapware makes a variety of food storage products from three basic types of plastic resin commonly used for food storage container applications:

PP (Polypropylene) – Used to manufacture Snap N Stack, Snap N Serve lids, Airtight Canister lids, & MODS/Snap N Lock

PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) – Used to manufacture Airtight Canister bottles (this product is non-microwavable)

PC (Polycarbonate) – Used to manufacture Snap N Serve vessels.

Question: Does PET, PC, or PP contain either Phthalates or Bisphenol-A (BPA)? If they contain either, is there any cause for concern over these chemicals leaching into my food when I use a microwave oven for reheating?

Answer: PC contains Bisphenol-A (BPA). PP and PET do not typically contain Bisphenol-A. Some PET products (but not all) may contain phthalates as a plasticizer (processing catalyst). PP does not usually contain any plasticizers, therefore does not contain phthalates.

Many urban myths regarding these chemicals leaching into food from plastic food storage containers are circulating in popular consumer magazines and the internet. The most authoritative resources for both chemicals are http://www.phthalates.org/ and http://www.bisphenol-a.org/

Neither chemical has been scientifically proven to leach a harmful amount of or either chemical during normal intended use.

Answer: No. The following is an excerpt from http://www.bisphenol-a.org/human/polyplastics.html:

"Bisphenol A (BPA) is a key building block of polycarbonate plastic. In recent years a number of researchers from government agencies, academia and industry worldwide have studied the potential for low levels of BPA to migrate from polycarbonate products into foods and beverages. These studies consistently show that the potential migration of BPA into food is extremely low, generally less than 5 parts per billion, under conditions typical for uses of polycarbonate products.

Using these results, the estimated dietary intake of BPA from polycarbonate is less than 0.0000125 milligrams per kilogram body weight per day. This level is more than 4000 times lower than the maximum acceptable or "reference" dose for BPA of 0.05 milligrams per kilogram body weight per day established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Stated another way, an average adult consumer would have to ingest more than 600 kilograms (about 1,300 pounds) of food and beverages in contact with polycarbonate every day for an entire lifetime to exceed the level of BPA that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set as safe."

"Human exposure to BPA from food-contact use of polycarbonate plastic is very low and poses no known risk to human health. The use of polycarbonate plastic for food contact applications has been and continues to be recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Food, the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and other regulatory authorities worldwide."

To read the BPA report in its entirety along with complete research citations, please visit http://www.bisphenol-a.org/human/polyplastics.htm

Question: I recently read an article published by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy stating that PC (polycarbonate) should be avoided for use as a food and beverage container due to leaching of the chemical BPA from PC. The article states that BPA is noted to have potential for harm to humans. I am concerned about how safe these products are for food and liquid storage and their impact on the environment.

Answer: The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy is primarily a political lobbying group. Go to http://www.undueinfluence.com/iatp.htm to learn more about how this group cleverly positions itself as a consumer advocacy group to advance the groups political agenda.

Snapware has not been able to confirm the existence of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study cited by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy article or validate the claims of harm to humans caused by BPA in PC food containers made by this group. Snapware relies on studies performed by respected credentialed scientists and reputable government agencies for food safety data.

Question: I am concerned for the environment, are Snapware products recyclable?

Answer: Yes, all Snapware products are completely recyclable and comply with municipal plastics recycling programs. Snapware uses all available environmentally sensitive procedures during the manufacturing process to ensure minimal impact to the environment. We encourage you to please also recycle all Snapware paper packaging materials that accompany your new product purchase.

Question: Are Snapware Products NSF certified?

Answer: No, Snapware products are not NSF certified and are intended primarily for consumer / residential use. Snapware products may be used for some commercial restaurant or food preparation applications. Consult your local health department for details.

Question: Snapware products have a recycling code on the bottom of each container, what do these codes mean? Does the number on the bottom of a Snapware container tell me how to use the product? Does the number tell me how many times the plastic material used to make that product can be recycled?

Answer: Many plastic items are marked with a resin ID code - usually a number (1 through 7) or a letter abbreviation – which indicates a particular type of plastic, nothing else. The code is typically found on the bottom of a container and is often displayed inside a three-arrow recycling symbol. Resin ID codes are used to help identify different plastics for recycling, but they do not provide guidance on the safe or intended use of a product and should not be used for this purpose. For reliable information on using a Snapware product, be sure to consult the care and use information on the packaging label. Remember to use Snapware products according to the instructions provided and check the resin ID code for proper recycling. Source: http://www.plasticsmythbuster.org/numbers.asp

The Rumor Mill

Rumor #1: Resin codes under “5” release cancer-causing chemicals.

Status: Busted!

Origins: Unknown. Earlier versions of this hoax often specify water bottles (see below), while newer versions sometimes mention bottles for tea or other beverages.

Be on the look out for an email like this one…
“As you know chemical released by plastic water bottles can cause cancer (It is not the water that affects you but the chemical released from the bottle) How to avoid: Check the bottom of the bottle there should be a triangle sign and there will be a number on it. If the number is higher than or equal to 5 --> then this bottle is safe to use. Numbers under 5 will release the chemical. For most bottled water, the number is 1. Remember to check and stop reusing those bottles.” [Note: Grammatical errors left intact.]

What you should know: While it’s true that many plastics are imprinted with a numeric code, this e-mail’s cancer warning misses the mark. Like all materials intended to come in contact with foods or beverages, the plastics that are used to make beverage bottles are subject to federal safety review and regulations. Such materials must meet stringent U.S. Food and Drug Administration safety standards before they can be marketed to consumers.

So, what’s in a number? The numeric codes that you see on many plastic items are used to help sort post-consumer plastics for recycling purposes. Different types of plastics are sometimes referred to as “resins” and the numeric symbols are known as “Resin ID Codes.” Each number (1 through 6) signifies a specific type of plastic and usually appears inside a small triangle (often formed by three adjoining arrows) imprinted on the bottom of a plastic item. The number “7” is used to represent a group of other plastics or combinations of plastics. Resin ID codes are not intended to provide guidance on the safe or appropriate use of any plastic item and should not be used for this purpose.

Source: http://www.plasticsmythbuster.org/dioxins.asp

Rumor #2: Using plastics in the microwave creates dioxins that can migrate into food.

Status: Baloney!

Origins: Versions of this e-mail hoax have been circulating for years. (The station number and call letters vary from region to region.)

Be on the look out for an email like this one…
Subject Line: Info for the Health Conscious
Subject Line 2: Passing on Healthy Info

“I just wanted to pass some information on to you. I was watching Channel 2 this morning. They had a Dr. Edward Fujimoto from Castle Hospital on the program. He is the manager of the Wellness Program at the hospital. He was talking about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat and plastics releases dioxins into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Dioxins are carcinogens and highly toxic to the cells of our bodies.

Instead, he recommends using glass, Corning Ware, or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results without the dioxins. So such things as TV dinners, instant simian and soups, etc. should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. Just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He said we might remember when some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.
Pass this on to your friends.”

What you should know: The claim that plastic food wraps and containers can release dioxins in the microwave oven is misleading. First, the vast majority of plastics used in food wraps and packaging containers do not contain the chemical constituents that can form dioxins. Second, dioxins are a family of compounds that are produced by combustion at high temperatures. They can only be formed during combustion at temperatures typically above 700 degrees Fahrenheit. In other words, even if all of the constituents were present, you also would need to have a very hot fire in your microwave oven, in which case you probably wouldn't eat the food anyway.

According to FDA, “With regard to dioxins, we have seen no evidence that plastic containers or films contain dioxins and know of no reason why they would.”

Source: http://www.plasticsmythbuster.org/dioxins.asp

More Resources and Information

Plastics and the Microwave
FDA Consumer - November/December 2002, a magazine published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Microwaving Plastic
American Cancer Society

Plastic in the Microwave: A Cause of Cancer?
MayoClinic.com

Plastics in the Microwave
Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council (ACC)

Plastics in the Microwave: A Common Sense Approach
Tips for using plastics in the microwave from the Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council (ACC)

No Link Between Microwave Cooking and Cancer, Expert Says
Jean Weese, Ph.D., Extension Food Scientist, Alabama Cooperative Extension

Microwaving Foods and Dioxin Formation
Christina Stark, M.S., R.D., Cornell Cooperative Extension
(Must be registered member of Cornell Nutrition Works website. Registration is free.)

More on Plastics in the Microwave
Christina Stark, M.S., R.D., Cornell Cooperative Extension
(Must be registered member of Cornell Nutrition Works website. Registration is free.)

Dioxin in Containers
Joe Schwarcz, Ph.D., Director, McGill University’s Office of Science and Society

Perilous Plastic?
Nada Mangialetti, Ph.D., for the American Council on Science and Health

How Things Work: Microwave Ovens
Louis A. Bloomfield, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, University of Virginia

Other MythBusting Websites

Plastics, Microwaves, and Dioxins…OH MY!
BreakTheChain.org

Don’t Use Plastic for Heating Foods in a Microwave Oven Because of Exposure to Dioxins – Unproven! & Fiction!
TruthOrFiction.com