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Safe food policy

Safe food storage: healthy options for food packaging and storage

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Kyra Xavia investigates at the health risks of plastic used for food packaging and storage, and offers suggestions for healthy alternatives

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Plastic pervades every area of our life. Unfortunately it also permeates our body where it does not belong. As consumers we assume packaging materials are safe but what’s being uncovered does not look safe at all.

So far bisphenol A (BPA), styrene and families of chemicals called pthalates, (there isn’t enough room to list them individually), adipates, organohalogens, nonylphenols, and heavy metals, have all been identified as having detrimental effects on health. Vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen, is used to produce polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Despite mounting scientific evidence and consumer concerns, these substances are still used in packaging that is supposed to keep our food safe. Plastic packaging is used because it’s inexpensive, light, durable, liquid and grease resistant. Packaged products have a long shelf life and are easier and cheaper to transport. Unfortunately our dependence on plastics comes with a high cost to our health and the environment.

Why are plastics nasty?

Some plastics are hardened and are less reactive but the majority of plastics used in packaging leach chemicals, whether from the plastic itself, synthetic antioxidants it has been coated with, residue from production, or numerous additives that give it ‘desirable’ properties. Claims plastics are safe because only minute amounts of these chemicals migrate into food and liquid (measured in parts per million) are based on flawed reasoning.

Traditional toxicology assumes the higher the dose the higher the effect. At low doses, there is a point at which no observable adverse effect occurs, known in scientific circles as the ‘no observable adverse effect level’ (NOAEL). But the disruption of the body’s sensitive hormonal system can occur at doses far below the NOAEL, and the existing safety assessment framework for chemicals is ill-equipped to deal with hormone mimicking substances found in plastics.

Some chemicals increase in toxicity when combined and no one knows the effects of these unlimited combinations. Testing does not account for the effects of simultaneous exposure to many chemicals and may lead to serious underestimations of risk.

One controversial fact remains: food and drink packaged in plastic becomes contaminated to some degree. Up until April 2002 the FDA called these plastics ‘indirect food additives’ which acknowledged they migrate into the products they come into contact with. In April 2002, this was changed to a more benign term, ‘food contact substances’.

Hazardous to the hormone system

Probably the most talked-about compounds in plastics are xenoestrogens, which were investigated and documented in the book Our Stolen Future. Since then numerous scientific studies have linked xenoestrogens with cancer and other illnesses.

Xenoestrogens are now more commonly called endocrine disruptors because these chemicals affect the body’s endocrine system, which includes the pituitary, thymus, thyroid, adrenal, pancreas and ovaries and testes glands. The endocrine system regulates the body in extremely complex and subtle ways, which is why endocrine disruptors have such wide-ranging harmful impacts. Most importantly cell division, development and growth are negatively interfered with, so those most vulnerable are unborn babies, children and teenagers.

Endocrine disruptors have been implicated in low fertility, insulin resistance, thyroid dysfunction and type two diabetes in men, endometriosis, breast cancer, polycystic ovarian disease in women, as well as altered germ cell and fetal development, behavioural as well as developmental problems and early onset puberty in children.

Endocrine disruptors accumulate in fatty tissue, and although some substances from plastics may be excreted, their metabolites often have more toxic effects, as is the case with pthalates.

Hidden plastics

Plastics are used in the linings of canned foods and beverages, on bottle tops, in heat-seal coatings on metal foils such as those found on yoghurts, cream and individual portions of milk and in aluminium paper-foil laminates like tetrapaks and also as a component of paper and paperboard in contact with liquid, fatty and dry foods, such as butcher’s paper. Plastics are also used in inks, resins, adhesives, sealants, protective coatings and finishes of food packaging.

Plastic confusion

How many consumers know the names and properties of plastics coded 1 to 7 and their intended uses? To add to the confusion, the recycling number 7 is a catch-all for those plastics not made of resins numbered 1 to 6, or made from a combination of those resins. Products can also be packaged with a combination of plastics.

New ‘bio-plastics’ are being developed with consumer concerns in mind – stay informed if you decide to use them. Some types of polyethylene are biodegradable but require specific environmental conditions in order to decompose. Also the presence of certain additives can prevent the degradation of such plastics. High levels of lead and cobalt have also been detected in some biodegradable plastic shopping bags, which raise concerns about toxic residue in the environment. Some food packaging simply will not decompose. Those that do break down can release toxins that end up in the water, soil and air which go back into the food chain.

Heating, leaching and storage time

Warmth and heating softens and weakens plastics, which accelerates the migration of endocrine disruptors into food. During the canning process high temperatures cause BPA in the plastic lining of cans to be absorbed by food.

Liquids absorb chemicals more readily than dry foods. Oils, and foods with a high fat and oil content, absorb endocrine disruptors from plastics, because oils and fats have an affinity with hormone-like molecules. Acidic food such as citrus, tomatoes and vinegar will also react with plastic.

The duration food and liquids are stored in plastic packaging, plastic lined cans and tetrapaks also determine the amount of chemicals that are absorbed.

The precautionary principle

ALL plastics are unsafe when heated, scratched, worn, broken or tacky to the touch. Plastics release harmful volatile organic compounds and all plastics degrade over time. With scientific evidence stacking up against the safety of plastics, consumers should err on the side of caution and reduce their exposure to plastic as much as possible.

Glass, ceramics, stainless steel (for non-acidic items), uncoated cardboard, unbleached paper and cheesecloth are inert and will NOT react with the food and liquids they come in contact with.

Reduce your exposure to plastics

Shopping
  • Ask shops to supply paper bags.
  • Choose loose items instead of those in plastic bags, and put them in paper bags.
  • Select loose dry foods from bulk bins and use paper bags instead of plastic.
  • Choose items packaged in glass over those in plastic, especially fruit juices, tomatoes and products containing vinegar.
  • Avoid canned food, especially canned tomatoes and citrus fruit.
  • Avoid beverages in cans.
  • Avoid butter and oil-based spreads sold in plastic containers.
  • Buy butter wrapped in waxed paper at your local organic outlet or delicatessen.
  • Check expiry dates – fresher products will have less time exposed to plastic.
  • Buy cheese and meat cut to order from the deli or butcher. Get it wrapped in plain, uncoated paper (butcher paper is often coated with shiny, waterproof PVC).
  • Avoid foil-lined tetrapaks and foil laminated sachets as these are often coated with polyethylene on the inside.
  • Shop at outlets that provide recycled glass containers for refilling liquids.

At home

  • Serve food and drinks from ceramic, glass, stainless steel, natural bamboo and wood.
  • Replace items stored in plastic into glass or ceramic containers once you get home. Farmers retail outlets stock a range of glassware with plastic lids imported from France called Frigoverre. Ensure the food inside doesn’t touch the lid.
  • Use unbleached cheesecloth to wrap items that need protection in the fridge. For those that need to be kept moist, wrap with damp cheesecloth. The cloth can be washed and reused many times.
  • Avoid any form of plastic when thawing, microwaving or reheating food.
  • Use a plain paper towel, preferably unbleached, to cover food in the microwave instead of plastic wrap.
  • Ceramic and glass containers are best for microwave use.
  • Use glass, ceramic or stainless steel bowls for mixing and baking.
  • Avoid electric plastic mixers. Use a glass bowl with a stainless steel handheld barmix or eggbeater.
  • Wooden cutting boards are preferable to plastic.
  • Squeeze your own juice instead of buying it in plastic bottles.
  • Buy fresh produce instead of using pre-cut/frozen vegetables and fruits.
  • Dispose of scratched, cloudy, sticky, worn and damaged plastic utensils and bowls.
  • Invest in quality cast iron or stainless steel cookware, pyrex glass and ceramics. These should last a lifetime.

For your baby

  • Glass baby bottles are safest. They won’t leach any chemicals when washed, heated or scratched.
  • Store breastmilk in glass in the fridge with a tight screwcap lid.
  • Choose baby food in glass jars instead of cans, plastic and foil sachets.
  • The best baby food is homemade from fresh organic vegetables, fruit and meat. Store in glass in the fridge and serve from ceramic plates. Avoid plastic cutlery.
Healthy drinking
  • Avoid large clear polycarbonate containers of distilled water. They leach BPA. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic water bottles are BPA-free but should only be used once.
  • Avoid buying plastic bottled water altogether.
  • Invest in a quality water filter and fill your own safe containers.
  • Use glass bottles or lightweight stainless steel drinking canisters with stainless steel tops (e.g. from www.ecotanka.com).
  • Fill up on spring water if you have a safe local source (such as that available on tap outside Speight’s Brewery in Dunedin).
  • Avoid drinking water from plastic containers left in cars or warm environments.
  • Avoid drinking hot drinks in polystyrene cups.
  • Replace plastic electric jugs with stainless steel ones.
  • When using tap water (especially if you don’t have a water filter), run the water for a few minutes, particularly in the morning. Most water pipes are made with unsafe PVC.
School lunches and picnics
  • Avoid clingwrap made from PVC, and check with manufacturers that E320 butylated hydroxy-anisole (BHA) and E321 butylated hydroxy-toluene (BHT) aren’t used.
  • Invest in long lasting recyclable cloth fabric wraps and snack bags lined with bio-plastic from 4yourearth (www.4myearth.co.nz ). Wrap food with a handy towel before putting inside.
  • For picnics use disposable plates, cups, cutlery, serving utensils and dishes made from bamboo fibre, cardboard and starch.

References

  1. Lougheed, T, ‘Outside Looking In: Understanding the role of science in regulation’, Environ Health Perspect 117:A104-A110, 2009
  2. Colborn, Theo, Dianne Dumanoski and John Peterson Myers, Our stolen future: Are we threatening our fertility, intelligence, and survival? A scientific detective story, New York, Dutton, 1996, www.ourstolenfuture.org
  3. The Prague Declaration on Endocrine Disruption. In June 2005, over 100 research scientists from 15 countries actively involved in research on endocrine disruptors issued a joint, signed statement raising concerns about endocrine disruption.
  4. National Toxicology Program, Department of Health and Human Science, Substance Profiles: Vinyl Chloride, in Report on Carcinogens, eleventh edition, http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/eleventh/profiles/s186viny.pdf
  5. Krimsky, Sheldon, Hormonal Chaos: The scientific and social origins of the environmental endocrine hypothesis, Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000
  6. Phillips, ML, ‘Phthalates and Metabolism: Exposure correlates with obesity and diabetes in men’, Environ Health Perspect 115:A312–A312, 2007
  7. Renner, R, ‘New Phthalate Link?: DEHP metabolites and altered thyroid hormone levels in men’, Environ Health Perspect 115:A363–A363, 2007
  8. Weinhold, B, ‘Gamete Gamble: Phthalate alters germ cell development’, Environ Health Perspect 117:A33–A33, 2009
  9. Tillett, T, ‘Bisphenol A, Chapter 2: New data shed light on exposure, potential bioaccumulation’, Environ Health Perspect 117:A210–A210, 2009
  10. Guenther, K et al, ‘Endocrine Disrupting Nonylphenols Are Ubiquitous in Food’ Environ. Sci. Technol. 36(8), pp 1676–1680, 2002
  11. Marla Cone, ‘Chemical in plastic may harm children’, Los Angeles Times, 16 April 2008
  12. Fred Pearce, ‘Biodegradable plastic bags carry more ecological harm than good’, The Guardian, 18 June 2009
  13. McGovern, V, ‘Polycarbonate Plastics and Human BPA Exposure: Urinary levels rise with use of drinking bottles’, Environ Health Perspect 117:A406–A406, 2009

Power-down pioneer: cycling for change

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Joseph Dougherty introduces Ted Howard, a champion of ‘powering down’, of social change directed at encouraging greater sustainability.

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Ted Howard is an inspiring example of how someone can make the transition away from a fossil-fuelpowered lifestyle. He runs two businesses: a permaculture gardening business and a kite sales business; both off the back of his bike.

That’s right, his bike! He transports gardening materials like hay bales on his bike and carries his kite stock and stall gear for his spot at the Nelson market on his bike and bike trailer. He can do this because he has an unusual bike with extra space for gear.

He was not a constant cyclist nor super strong prior to taking this up. In fact, Ted is in his fifties and took up cycling seriously in his mid-forties and says he wasn’t fit when he did it.

Pulling heavy gear around and gardening all day takes fitness though – or perhaps it creates it. Ted says he got into gardening because “there was nothing like putting my hands into the dirt to help dealing with the grief of living in a dominant insane culture that is heading towards collapse.” Three years ago he needed to get out of his shop selling kites full-time.

Maybe it was his awareness of the impending end of cheap oil and the potential collapse of the biosphere that pushed him out of that comfortable carseat and onto his challenging bike seat.

Now, he delights in challenging others: appearing with incredible loads (like ladders and weedeaters) or leaving the supermarket with his bike seriously loaded up and thinking “Every day, it’s like an adventure: ‘what can I carry today?’ and ‘how can I mess with people’s heads?’”

He got into permaculture because it gave him a way to integrate his knowledge and make sense of it. Ted has not only completed a Permaculture Design Course, but helped out at three subsequent courses, and given talks at others on his lifestyle and demonstrating how it is made possible by his amazing bike, which is where I met him. It certainly garnered full attention from the permaculture students.

He also continues learning: he upskills himself as he works, slapping headphones on and listening to tapes of lectures and audio books while using power tools.

When Ted started his permaculture gardening business he was leaping into risky territory. He only had a couple of clients, he wasn’t that fit, his vehicle was a bike, he didn’t have formal horticulture qualifications (at least not initially).

So what made it work? Contacts and optimism. Being involved in Transition Nelson and several subgroups, as well as Bike Nelson Bays, Friends of Nelson Haven and more – he has contacts. He asked friends if they knew anyone who needed garden work done and here is where being involved in your community helps out – enough work has turned up to not only keep him almost 100% financially supported by work he can do off his bike.

His vision is that these networks will be able to provide enough work to sustain all the gardening members of the Transition Nelson Permaculture Group, which fits into the cultural transition Ted believes is essential we make: connecting and supporting each other.

“We need to ‘power down’, go from being Homo colossus, used to being able to move all over the place in our little cages, to learning energy accounting and taking steps like using ‘e-assist’ on bikes to help the transition to animal power or walking as means of transport,” says Ted.

“I am moving gradually in the direction of becoming a city farmer – I am changing. We need to become a land-based culture, and permaculture gives us tools to do this.”

For all of us who flinch in the face of the challenging changes we need to make to move towards sustainability, people like Ted are showing us we can. Even in midlife, even without great physical prowess, we can adopt far more physically demanding lifestyles. And more satisfying lifestyles.

As Ted observes: “I am having fun in a garden and upskilling, connecting to my community, and people are paying me.”

Ted’s bike

Ted’s bike is a Kona Caldera with Xtracycle extensions. Xtracycles, like Yuba Mundos, are ‘cargo’ or ‘utility’ bikes, with extended wheel bases and strong chassis and strong panniers to which one can strap heavy (up to 150 kg) or large loads like long ladders, machinery and 2–3 people.

But of course, I must mention that Ted has a special helper for his bike for when conditions get tough. A helper named ‘Stoke Monkey’, a tiny electric motor (or ‘e-assist’) bolted on to the frame which helps riders with loads keep going at reasonable speeds, even on hills. The engine and battery add 20 kg to the bike’s weight, so how useful is it? “Going up steep hills loaded without ‘e-assist’ is impossible for me,” says Ted. It probably isn’t on the cards for most of us, so it makes gardening off a bike in hilly places feasible. Anyway, studies considering embodied energy show that an ‘e-assist’ bicycle is 2–4 times more efficient use of energy than just pedalling if you source your food via the supermarkets, and 1–2 times more efficient if you grow your own. (See http://clevercycles.com/p=125).

As for maintenance and costs thereof, “I’ve had no problems with the engine in two years,” says Ted. The battery is a nickel/metal hybrid which takes a couple of hours to recharge, will last 300–400 recharges and gives stable performance. As Nelson is mainly flat, Ted doesn’t need to use the ‘e-assist’ all the time.

His bike and gear did cost a bit though – over $4000. Helpfully, the Xtracycle is a kit you can fit to an existing mountain bike, and modify if necessary to take the extra strains of signifi can’t loads, as Ted did.

Yuba Mundos are dedicated cargo bikes and are sold by Stu Edwards of cargobikenz.co.nz in Levin. They are a bit stronger than ordinary mountain bikes and not expensive either, as bikes go. Other options include the Wisper model.

Ted’s winter permaculture garden tips

  • Save seeds
  • Put in winter greens, green cover crops
  • Prune and mulch
  • Build up compost
  • Prepare for planting out fruit and nut trees to keep building edible landscapes
  • Keenly observe natural processes: where is the windy spot, where is the frost damage happening, where is the winter suntrap?
  • Are you collecting enough water?
  • Train! Do a permaculture course!

Links

‘Cargo’ or ‘utility’ bikes and suppliers
www.xtracycle.com
www.southendcycles.co.nz
cleverchimp.com (Stoke Monkey)
www.electricbikes.co.nz (Wisper model)

Compost Club Magazine

The Rise of the Mud & Muck Boys: humble beginnings of the Soil and Health Association NZ

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Paul Smith talks to the people who recall the early days of Soil & Health. They remained true to our principles through thick and thin – “for the love of it”.

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A couple of months ago I found a stack of old Soil & Health magazines in The Oddity, my local second-hand shop. All were from the year 1974 and could be bought, back then, for a mere 30 cents each. The fact that I paid only ten cents per copy belies the ongoing relevance of many of the issues covered in the magazine: the side effects of inorganic fertilisers, the importance of composting, fluoridation, gardening tips and more.

The late Jack Meechin was then editor of the magazine – in fact, he edited the magazine for an incredible 27 years! Accolades come thick and fast from those who were involved in the Soil & Health Association at the time. Past president of the Canterbury branch, George Maslin, recalls that from 1954 when Jack Meechin became editor the magazine went from “strength to strength”. He says that through his enthusiasm and diligence, Jack Meechin laid the foundations of the Association and that “if it hadn’t been for Jack we might not have a Soil & Health Association now”.

Jean Meechin remembers her husband spending hours working on the magazine, even taking material on holiday to work on. Of course, Jean couldn’t help but be involved, doing proofreading and other tasks. She fondly remembers attending Association conferences and visiting other members’ gardens and says there was a bond between people. “All the gang together” was what they called themselves.

Not so flattering was the name given to them by others in the community, “the Mud and Muck Boys”. This is a reference to the Association’s humble beginnings as the Humic Compost Club formed in Auckland in 1941. Not long after, public demonstrations in compost making were given with up to 300 people attending and many subsequently joining the Club.

Not that composting was socially acceptable, mind you. The composters were considered odd and the activity was frowned upon by most upstanding citizens of the time.

Lady Eve Balfour

Founder of the UK Soil Association and major influencer of The Compost Club in the early years.

“Mention compost and people would hold their noses in disgust,” is how Jack Whitelaw remembers the prevailing attitude. In 1942 he attended a meeting by Compost Club founder Dr Guy Chapman and was convinced of the merits of composting. “Those of us in the early movement who put up with the indignity of nasty comments feel some justification seeing composting come to the scale it is today. We gave a lot of time attending shows and doing demonstrations – it’s been a slow and gradual process.”

Jack Whitelaw, now 97, was president of the Canterbury branch of the Association in 1960-61 and recalls giving an address on the benefits of composting to Christchurch’s “city fathers”. His message didn’t meet with a cordial response, however he says it is gratifying to see the development of composting by the Christchurch City Council in recent years. Indeed, many councils throughout the country have wakened to the benefits of municipal composting, as have most New Zealand gardeners.

First Lady Mollie Chalken

Mollie Chalken points out, you’re more likely nowadays to be considered strange if you don’t make compost. Mollie has been the Soil & Health Association’s only woman president, from 1981-83, she also served on committees and edited several issues of the magazine. The universal acceptance in New Zealand of composting is “one of the great achievements” of the Association, says Mollie.

Another victory is the widespread recognition of the symbiotic relationship between soil bacteria and plant health, otherwise known as mycorrhizal association.

“In the 1970s when we were talking about mycorrhizal association the soil scientists laughed their heads off, now they are preaching it,” says Mrs Chalken, who has herself studied plants for many years and is an expert on companion planting. She also praises the Soil & Health Association for keeping the principles of organic farming alive over many lonely years.

As president of the Association, she traversed the country visiting organic farmers, wrote articles and gave seminars. Her approach is inclusive and contrasts with several other past presidents who preferred not to engage with members of the agricultural sector who were sceptical of organics. Instead she fronted up to groups such as Federated Farmers and while they weren’t convinced by the philosophy of organics, when it came down to the facts – such as a reduced vet bill – some began to take notice.

Mrs Chalklen’s father was a member of the Association before she was – at the time she considered him “nuts” for belonging – and she tells how after he died a notice came in the mail advertising a talk by Dr David Penman. The talk was about beneficial insects and Mollie was “hooked first time”. She joined the Association in 1971 and has been a dedicated member ever since. Now 69, and showing no sign of slowing down, she prefers to operate on a local level.

Apart from her involvement in the Herb and Horticulture Societies, Mollie and her husband have recently converted a four-acre block in Oxford, just out of Christchurch, to biodynamics. Previously dominated by gorse, blackberry and willow, the land will in future be an organic display garden. Four garden groups have visited in the last three weeks and there will be many more to come – including me.

Invariably those involved in the Soil & Health Association are keen gardeners, including Pat and Trevor Wright in Motueka. Pat compiles the South Island garden notes column in today’s Soil & Health and has been interested in organic gardening for the last 20 years.

Pat and Trevor have been members since 1970 and were originally given a subscription by their son. In the mid-80s they started a branch in Rangiora and, as South Island liaison officer, Trevor set up branches in Ashburton, Timaru and Invercargill to name a few. Everything was driven by motivation and dedication, and all grew out of entirely voluntary work.

What kept the Wrights and the many other hardworking office bearers going all those years? Trevor simply says, “I believed in it,” meaning the principles of the Soil & Health Association. There was fellowship too; being part of a group with shared interests; the excitement of a new paradigm emerging, and much to learn.

Conferences relished over the years

Everyone interviewed for this article remembered the conferences as highlights of their involvement. Mollie Chalken recalls a conference in New Plymouth in 1979 with particular relish. The humour at the conference was of “colonic” proportions. Apparently the speaker on colonic irrigation was so funny there were people on the floor in fits of laughter. Seriously though, Mollie says there was “tremendous purpose” at the conferences and no other organic-orientated organisation has had such a presence on a national level as the Soil & Health Association.

For Trevor Wright the conference at Lincoln College in 1988, called “New Zealand’s Growing Future”, was a major highlight and a significant achievement. He and his wife, along with Bob Crowder and Rex Verity, organised the conference which was attended by over 600 people and, he suggests, was the largest conference on organics in the southern hemisphere at that time. Despite the media failing to turn up, the conference was a huge success.

There have been disappointments: a small uprising of discontent at the cutting of “Pam’s Pages”, the popular garden and cooking pages in Soil & Health; a secretary absconding to South Africa with the Association coffers, branch rivalry. Though there may have been some hiccups over the years, Mollie Chalklen believes the Association has been very close knit, particularly on a local level. As George Maslin points out, it is the home gardeners who are the roots of the Association and despite the commercial focus of composting and organics in today’s society we shouldn’t lose sight of our personal relationship with the soil and consequently our health.

The longevity of the Association is testament to the goodwill and enthusiasm of its members. For the older generation, it is gratifying to see young people getting involved, coming along to meetings, and taking the issues seriously. Jean Meechin’s four children are all committed to organics – they wouldn’t have it any other way. Slowly but surely the principles of healthy soil, healthy food and healthy people are permeating our society, thanks to the dedication of past and present members.