Food in a foam box can destroy the liver

China has banned the use of styrofoam boxes for food after detecting a carcinogen. Meanwhile, Vietnamese consumers are still indifferent to using cans, but they are handy but contain extremely toxic substances that can damage the liver and cause many other diseases.

Mr. Hoang Lam, Deputy Director of the Quality Measurement Technical Center 3 (Ho Chi Minh City), said that, until now, the verification if any, can only be carried out with food containers from foreign.

"And the foam box containing domestically produced food has no regulations to force quality testing , " said Lam.

Meanwhile last week, the International Food Packaging Association (IFPA) in Hong Kong announced the information, half of the lunch boxes (sponge, plastic, paper .) in China contain a large amount of flour. minerals have a carcinogenic component. China has also decided to ban the sale and use of foam food boxes because they can be made from waste.

In Vietnam, this product is used very commonly in everyday activities. In Ho Chi Minh City, according to foam distribution agencies, millions of units are sold every day, serving the needs of food such as rice, sticky rice, dumplings .

The owner of these two box wholesale shops on Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street, District 6, HCM City, said the foam box containing rice is about 12 cm across and 20 cm long is sold for only 200-250 each. pcs. In retail stores, the selling price is pushed up but also ranges from 350-500 VND per box.

"This box is very convenient for food, mainly produced by domestic establishments, not imported from abroad," the owner said.

Experts recommend that hot foam containers can be contaminated with toxins.Photo: TC .

In the opinion of engineer Huynh Le Thai Hoa, Director of Ho Chi Minh City's Food Safety and Hygiene Department, which should have ensured safety for consumers, items of foam containers for food must be pre-assessed. when marketed.

Meanwhile experts recommend that consumers should not use foam boxes to store food.

According to engineer Vu Tan Canh, Department of Polymer and Compozit Materials, Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, foam boxes made from the main material is a thermoplastic type called Polystyren (PS). low molecule. In principle, plastic items are only used for cold food storage, but many Vietnamese people use hot food containers, this is a taboo.

"When you store hot items, the amount of monostyren (a toxic substance) in this resin releases as much as it will damage the liver, as well as many other diseases. Not only high temperatures, this plastic when it is greasy, Salt, acid, salt . will be toxic to humans , " Canh said.

In addition, in the process of processing, in addition to PS plastic, manufacturers also include additives and other fillers. Consumers can not be sure what manufacturers fill up when processing. Canh engineers say, in fact, there are many places for profit purposes, as well as poor professional qualifications, the manufacturer has used plastic waste or the inconsistent rate of each substance leads to highly toxic products. , endangering the user.

In addition, he said, producers can fill some minerals. Although it is unclear what minerals are, in general, there are some heavy metals, which are toxic to humans.

Styrofoam box of rice is sold popularly in Binh Tay market, Ho Chi Minh City, popular with many people to store rice and food for convenience.Photo: TC

"I have heard that in China, people have found some minerals in a foam box that can change the sex, cause cancer and some other diseases. In our country, there has never been a study of box type. " said Canh. In addition, the machining facilities are not clean, bacteria can reside in the porous cavity and continue to grow, causing food contamination.

He also said that many countries in the world have banned the use of this plastic to produce food containers. However, there are no specific regulations in Vietnam. Not only the foam box, Mr. Canh also advised consumers to be cautious when using plastic food to store food, depending on the type of plastic used but toxic. However, absolutely not used to store hot food.

Dr. Le Thi Hao, Deputy Director of National Food Safety Test said: 'We will conduct research and investigate whether the foam box contains toxic substances. In the past, we have had research on food containers that have been recognized for quality standards in the market but have not discovered anything unusual '.