That's how I felt when we moved into our new house almost 3 years ago. And that's how it turned out. The plastic moved to the flea market and ended up in other hands. Because I had found other materials for food storage that could do something quite special. They could ensure that no unwanted substances migrated into our food. And that's pretty important to me. Especially when it comes to the kind of storage where the food is in contact with the container for a long time. The alternative to plastic became glass and stainless steel. Two pure materials that each have their own advantages.
We use glass to store leftover food, cold cuts, etc. in fridge and freezer. They can withstand most things (apart from a tiled floor) and the food is frozen in there and reheated in the same place. Super smart.
We primarily use stainless steel for food boxes and drink cans. The food boxes are brilliant and extremely durable. And the drinking bottles don't weigh that much and hold water etc. cool and clean. Especially when we are going on a trip, the drinking bottles are filled up and taken with us on the go. This way we avoid having to buy water when we are away, and thus contribute to the consumption of even more plastic.
If you use plastic for food storage, there are some simple precautions you can take:
- Avoid heating, as this releases even more substances into your food
- Avoid using plastic storage that is worn and old
- Avoid acidic foods in your plastic containers.
- Avoid using plastic packaging for anything other than what it was created for. So, don't use the ice bucket for hot meatballs etc.
If you want to know more about contamination of unwanted substances from plastic, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration has collected a whole lot of different reports, which you can find here. The newest – from 2017 – is about contamination from drinking cans. Read it here.
You can also learn more about the subject of recycled plastic here.
You can read and see more about sustainable and chemical-free food storage in the shop.