Guide · Packaging
Plastic chemicals in your food: what’s proven and what helps
Consumer Reports tested 85 foods and found phthalates, chemicals that make plastic soft, in 84 of them Consumer Reports. They don’t go on the label. Here’s what’s actually known, what the FDA has and hasn’t done, the Chobani case, and the simple swaps pediatricians recommend.
What phthalates are, and how they get in
Phthalates are a family of chemicals used to make plastic soft and flexible. The NIH’s environmental health institute lists some food packaging among the hundreds of products they show up in NIEHS.
Packaging is only part of it. Consumer Reports points to plastic tubing, conveyor belts and gloves used in food processing, and even contaminated water and soil Consumer Reports.
And food is the main route in. For one of the most common, DEHP, the federal government estimates more than 90% of daily intake for anyone past infancy comes from food, water and other drinks NTP.
What’s known about health
Kept to what the sources actually say.
What the FDA has (and hasn’t) done
The short version: the FDA removed approvals industry had already stopped using, said no to removing the rest, and has been reviewing them since.
The Chobani case
We bought Chobani Greek yogurt for years. So this one got my attention. Here’s exactly where it stands, no more and no less.
What actually lowers exposure
These are the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations from its 2018 statement on food additives and child health AAP, plus Consumer Reports’ tips. Their advice, not mine. None of it costs much.