Are food packaging always safe? Unfortunately, it is not always obvious and recent analyzes conducted by the German magazine ÖKO-TEST have highlighted the presence of bisphenols in pizza cartoons. Out of ten samples examined, nine contained Bisfenol A (BPA) and eight Bisfenol S (BPS). Only the box of a chain was without these substances
Pizza cartoons, the nightmare toxic substances returns: the box that contains it, in fact, the one that we take home for the takeaway, could contain bisphenols.
As he had already discovered The life jacket In 2019 in an analysis that had reported BPA’s presence in some pizza cartoons, now it is the last Öko-test test that gives further confirmation.
The experts of the German magazine brought 10 of the cartoons used by famous pizza chains, from Domino’s to Pizza Hut, and from Pizza Delivery and Online Delivery Services, and the results are worrying: Only a cardboard was clean, while high levels of bisphenol a and bisphenol S. have been detected in the others
In the worst case, the level of Bisfenol to detected was 45,000% higher than the limit considered safe for daily intake. And often, as the simulation has shown, these substances also end up in pizza.
What kind of bishopnoles have been found and how
In particular, the analyzes found the presence in the pizza of bisfenolo aknown for its harmful effects on human health, including interference with the endocrine system, reproductive problems and an increased risk of breast cancer, obesity and behavioral disorders in children; and of the bisfenol s which, although less studied, is also classified as a toxic to reproduce and is part of the “Extremely worrying substances“According to the Reach regulation.
To check if and how these substances migrate From the pizza boxthe laboratory simulated the contact between the cardboard and the food and it emerged that, In almost half of the cartons containing BPA, the substance has passed to pizzawhile the BPS migrated in all eight cases where it was present in the cardboard.
In the worst case, a person of 60 kg that consumed an entire pizza from one of these boxes would exceed the daily dose considered safe by the EFSA of 45 thousand%.
How does the bisphenol ends in the pizza cardboard?
According to scholars, the bisphenols accidentally end up in pizza cartoons through recycled paperin particular by receipts and tickets printed on thermal paper that contain bisphenols as color developers.
Since 2020, the BPA has been forbidden in the thermal paper, but some producers have replaced it with the BPS, still legal, which explains its presence in pizza cartoons. From next January 20, the European Union will prohibit the use of bisphenol A in the materials in contact with food, including packaging and containers such as reusable plastic bottles, metal cans and kitchen utensils.
However, the legislation does not apply to paper, leaving many food packaging excluded from the ban and continuing to represent a health risk. To reduce the migration of bisfenoli in pizza, manufacturers can use virgin fibers for the internal layer of the box or apply a protective coating on the internal surface.
The only chain that passed the test
It is Pizza Hut Which, for example, uses only virgin fiber in its cartoons, eliminating the recycled paper from the internal and central layers.
These results highlight a gap in consumer protection: unlike plastic materials, the recycled paper intended for contact with food is not subject to equally rigorous regulations.
The European Union is evaluating a recommendation to monitor the involuntary entry of Bispnotoli into foods.
In the meantime, alternative solutions could be adopted, such as the use of plastic reusable pizza boxes, already used in the past by some Neapolitan pizza chefs. It is essential to find safer methods for transporting pizza, also considering the environmental impact of cardboard boxes.
