By Staff Writer - March, 1st 2014

Packaging protects the food from environmental impacts be it microorganisms or oxygen, but in itself contributes to chemical migration from the packaging material into the food. This is nothing new and numerous concerns have been raised in the past about specific chemical components that come in contact with food.

Natural Health News — The synthetic chemicals used in the packaging, storage, and processing of foodstuffs might be harmful to human health over the long term, scientists warn.

This is because most of these substances are not inert and can leach into the foods we eat, say environmental scientists in a commentary in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Despite the fact that some of these chemicals are regulated, people who eat packaged or processed foods are likely to be chronically exposed to low levels of these substances throughout their lives, say the authors.

And far too little is known about their long term impact, including at crucial stages of human development, such as in the womb, which is “surely not justified on scientific grounds,” the authors claim.

Known toxins

The scientists point out that lifelong exposure to food contact materials(FCMs) – substances used in packaging, storage, processing, or preparation equipment – “is a cause …

 

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