They warn of the danger of heating prepared dishes in their plastic containers

Heat prepared dishes and pre-cooked food in the plastic containers in which they are packaged in the microwave or oven. significantly increases the risk of releasing microplastics and toxic chemicals that can leach into food and affect healthaccording to a Greenpeace report.

From the analysis of 24 recent scientific studiesthe report Alert: Microplastics in ready-made food concludes that foods packaged and marketed with the ‘suitable for heating’ label are exposing millions of people to invisible pollutants daily.

One of the researches reviewed detected between 326,000 and 534,000 particles leaking into food after just five minutes in the microwavea figure between four and seven times higher than using the oven.

Regarding chemicals, the report indicates that they are known to be used or present in plastics more than 4,200 “highly dangerous” for human and environmental health; the majority, without being regulated in food packaging.

Furthermore, it shows that old, scratched or reused containers are worse, since worn plastic releases almost twice as many particles of microplastics compared to new packaging.

Health hazard

It is known that exposure to chemicals present in plastic containers impacts the risk of developing metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, neurodevelopmental disorders during fetal development and childhoodimpacts reproductive health and infertility, and includes substances with carcinogenic potential.

For its part, micro- and nanoplastics can cause systemic inflammation and oxidative stress when entering the bloodstream, as well as damage to tissues and organs, since being so small they can cross biological barriers and accumulate.

Chemical substances from plastic containers have already been identified in human bodies. In particular, at least 1,396 plastic chemicals in contact with food in human bodies.

Despite these known risks, the report notes that plastic-packaged ready meals are one of the fastest-growing segments of the global food system, worth almost 190 billion dollars (161,428 million euros) and a pronounced increase due to households becoming more dependent on convenience food.

In Spain, The consumption of prepared meals has increased by 3.8 percent in the last yearaccording to the balance of the Spanish Association of Prepared Dish Manufacturers (ASEFAPRE), as a consequence of the lack of time and space in the new home models.

Insufficient response

Faced with this situation, Greenpeace has assured that the response that regulatory bodies and countries are giving is “insufficient” around the world, while at the same time ‘microwave safe’ and ‘oven safe’ labels provide ‘false reassurance’ to consumers.

The report warns that the plastic crisis It is following the same pattern seen with tobacco, asbestos and lead. Despite scientific evidence, the problem has been met with denial of the industry and the regulatory delay.

“They are poisoning us while we try to feed our families. The risk is evident, the stakes are high and the time to act is now. We cannot trust the misleading promises of plastic companies and lobbies,” said Greenpeace waste manager Julio Barea.

While governments negotiate the UN Global Treaty on PlasticsGreenpeace has urged negotiating parties to act following the precautionary principle to avoid the use of plastics and hazardous chemicals in food contact materials.

In addition, it has demanded that “misleading statements” on plastic packaging be eliminated, the population be legislatively protected from exposure to dangerous substances, single-use plastic packaging for food and beverages be banned, and reuse systems based on non-toxic materials be developed.