Meal prepping is convenient, but storing your meals in plastic containers exposes you to microplastics, which can disrupt hormones and harm your health.
Meal prepping has become a lifestyle because every fitness influencer and mommy blogger is preaching about how convenient meal prepping is for saving time to do more of the things that they love. Like… more meal prepping.
Unfortunately, they’re not warning you about the dangers of microplastics when you store your meals in plastic containers.
You have to admire their determination when some people forget to pack their leftovers in the fridge. Meal prepping can save you time, money, and washing up, but storing pre-prepared meals in plastic containers can do more harm than good.
Admittedly, eating the same meal for five consecutive days is a great way to kill your appetite, but not if the plastic packaging is a silent killer?
Microplastics in your meal
Storing your food in any plastic exposes it to microplastics, which are linked to hormone disruption and cancer risk. Your exposure to microplastics increases when food comes into contact with plastic with friction, heat, fat, and acid, so your homemade Penne Arrabbiata is literally a health hazard when you reheat it in plastic in the microwave.
Microplastics and heat
Everybody loves the convenience of meal prepping, but heating plastic is risky because chemicals like BPA and phthalates can leach into your food. These hormone-disrupting compounds have been linked to cancer and metabolic issues.
Forget what you’ve seen on TV because cling film isn’t harmless either. Wrapping food in plastic may preserve freshness, but it does little to maintain longevity.
A good rule of thumb: storing food in plastic is a risk, reheating in plastic is riskier.
Microplastic dangers
That zesty salad dressing might be picking up chemicals that are worse than kilojoules. Acidic foods, such as tomato sauce, citrus, or vinegar-based dressings, accelerate the leaching of chemicals from plastic containers. It defeats the purpose of prepping healthy meals only to jeopardise them in plastic packaging.
Microplastic alternatives
Fortunately, there is a wide selection of containers made from natural materials for storing your food, including glass, ceramics, wood, and steel. These containers not only protect your health, but they’re friendlier to the environment and look better on Pinterest.
Should you throw out all your plastics?
It’s tempting to trash all of your plastic overnight, but you can phase it out gradually. Containers that are used for storing hot or acidic foods should be replaced immediately, but containers that only store dry foods can be used until you’re ready to replace them.
How to dispose of plastics safely
Unfortunately, recycling often just delays the inevitable and keeps plastic in circulation longer, sometimes even increasing your exposure. The safest way to dispose of plastic responsibly is in the trash to prevent further environmental pollution. Never burn plastic, as this releases hazardous fumes that are toxic to inhale.
You should also vow never to buy anything in plastic again.
Know your plastic from your plastic
It’s easy to get confused by the different types of plastic because they often have different names, but they’re all still plastic. Some are safer than others, but none are ideal for storing food at high temperatures or for long-term food storage.
Common Consumer Plastics
These are the plastics used for packaging and household items, usually marked with recycling numbers:
PET / PETE (Polyethylene Terephthalate)
Beverage bottles, food containers.
HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene)
Milk bottles, detergent bottles, tougher containers.
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)
Plumbing pipes, cling wrap, some toys. Also one of the more toxic plastics.
LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene)
Plastic bags, squeeze bottles, and some cling wraps.
PP (Polypropylene)
Yoghurt tubs, takeaway containers, microwave-safe plastics (still plastic!).
PS (Polystyrene)
Foam cups, takeaway trays, and disposable plates are a high microplastic risk.
Other / Mixed Plastics (Category 7)
Everything that doesn’t fit above: polycarbonate, BPA plastics, bioplastics, layered plastics.
Acrylic / Plexiglass / Perspex
These are also plastics known for being strong, transparent, and glass-like, but still very much a plastic.
Smarter meal prep without microplastics
Meal prepping isn’t the problem, but your plastic packaging is disrupting your hormones, your health, and the planet. You can start making smarter choices simply by choosing safer packaging for your meals.
