Use caution when using a foam container for hot food

Styrofoam box has PS plastic component, when storing hot items, toxic levels of monostyren cause damage to the liver as well as many other diseases. Do not use a microwave to heat food contained in a foam box.

This is a guideline to ensure food safety in the use of foam boxes to store and preserve food, announced by the Department of Food Safety (Ministry of Health). Accordingly, foam boxes are widely used in the world but if used incorrectly can cause toxins that adversely affect health.

People should not use foam boxes to store food
hot, greasy, pickled . (Photo: Thien Chuong)

Styrofoam box is made from polystyrene (PS) with 95% air composition and 5% PS so it is very light, used for storing and preserving food.

According to Dr. Lam Quoc Hung, Department of Food Safety (Ministry of Health), styrofoam boxes are at risk of affecting the health of users due to lead and cadmium contamination if materials produce boxes that are not pure and stop styrene, Ethylbenzene. Therefore, in order to ensure safety, people should only use boxes of clear origin, ensuring proper food safety regulations as recommended by the manufacturer.Type of box made from PS plastic only used to contain, preserve food with temperatures below 70 degrees C.

Do not use styrofoam boxes to store and store food for long periods of time, only once. Do not use foam boxes containing hot foods, drinks, fatty foods, cooking oil, boiling water, pickles (pickled pickles, salads with vinegar, lemon juice, lemon tea .). Do not use a microwave to heat food in a foam box.

In principle, plastic items are only used for cold food storage, but many Vietnamese people use hot food containers, this is a taboo. When storing hot items, the higher the amount of monostyren (a toxic substance) in PS release, the more damage to the liver, as well as many other diseases. Not only high temperature, this type of plastic when it comes to grease, salty salt, acid . will be harmful to humans.

In 2010, the authorities used to go out to check the quality of foam boxes on the market. Test results of a number of styrofoam box samples on the market at that time, the degree of discontinuation of polystyren contamination was below the allowed threshold of 8,000-10,000 times.