"plastic" news and stories

Bisphenol-A (or BPA), a chemical present in certain plastics, is an endocrine disruptor that has been linked to heart disease, cancer, and endocrine disorders, including diabetes and obesity. With all the scary news about bisphenol A in canned food that's coming out right now, we were left wondering, well, what IS safe to eat these days?

Experts have some general tips about how to ensure the safest, healthiest food supply for our families. According to the Environmental Working Group, it may not be possible to completely eliminate BPA from our lives, but we can take simple steps to minimize its presence.

First, and perhaps most obvious: Look for containers that claim to be BPA-free. The Soft Landing, a blog devoted to avoiding endocrine disruptors, listed several brands that use BPA-free cans for at least some of their products, including Eden Foods, Trader Joe's, and Native Forest.

Do you like hard plastic on your hamburgers? I'm a mustard guy myself, so I wouldn't want these.

Price Chopper is recalling packages of hamburgers and ground meat because they might contain small pieces of plastic. The meat being recalled is in various forms, so take note: four packs and eight packs of 80% lean ground chuck, 85% lean ground round patties, and four packs of 90% lean ground sirloin. The packages have a date of May 13 on them.

It's already happened in Canada. It's in the process of happening in Great Britain. I wonder if it will ever happen in the U.S.? I am referring to changing the packaging for milk containers. In Canada and England (anywhere else?), milk can now be purchased in more environmentally friendly bags rather than plastic bottles.

Currently, most of the bottles used for milk are tossed into the garbage rather than be recycled. Add to that they're made of a high density polyethylene, which can be recycled albeit mainly in China. The bags use 75% less plastic than do the bottles we're currently used to. Less packaging means less waste.

The milk bags are easily stored, too. You just have to get any kind of reusable pitcher, or similar container. When you bring home your fresh bag of milk, simply empty the contents into your pitcher and store it in the fridge.

The bag of milk is a neat new concept. I think that if we're serious about reducing our impact on this planet, this may be a good change to make. I know it seems kind of weird, but it's not that different from our current milk containers. Also, it's not a big sacrifice. I put lots of products into a permanent container once I get it home. So here's to the bag of milk: may you be universally accepted in the near future and stick around far into it.

[Via ColdMud]

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Now that we've seen the paper cup that isn't a paper cup in order to reduce waste, how about plastic bottles that aren't plastic bottles? Italian design house Seletti has created glass water bottles made to look like the plastic water bottles we use then dump. Because they're glass, I doubt they're meant for us to throw into our backpacks and take with us, so they don't necessarily help us reduce our waste of portable plastic bottled water, but at a holding capacity of 1 liter each, they're great for serving water or other beverages at the table or bar.

Available from Lekker Home for $38 a bottle. Comes in four different designs.

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Yesterday, in my meanderings through the interwebs, I followed a link to the most fabulous food-related toy that you see above, Mr. Bacon vs. Monsieur Tofu. Sadly, I can't remember from whence the link came that led me to these fantastic action figures, but whoever first stumbled across them, I thank you for sending me in their direction. Because who doesn't love a good rumble between a strip of bacon and a square of tofu. As the website site says, "only one can remain at the top of the food chain!" When you guys get your own set, the victor is entirely up to you!

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