Question from Cheryl3
I love certain muffins and just realized they are sold in plastic #7 containers. Would the muffins absorb the toxins at a harmful level or is it just liquids that would be vulnerable? Thanks.
Debra’s Answer
It’s hard to say what toxic chemicals might be leaching from a #7 plastic container. The number is to identify the plastic for recycling purposes, not toxicity.
The type of plastic for number #7 is “other.” Plastic #7 is the code assigned to any plastic that does not fit into the other six well-defined categories of recyclable material.
Plastic #7 includes two main types: acrylonitrile styrene or styrene acrylonitrile (AS/SAN), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). But plastic #7 might also be polycarbonate that leaches Bisphenol-A (BPA).
Or plastic #7 could be one the new bio-based plastics that use corn, potato or sugar derivatives.
Personally, I prepare food from fresh raw ingredients as much as possible, to avoid exposures from unknown packaging.
