Cling Wrap – A Revolution In The Food Industry
 Plastic food packaging film, popularly known as cling film, has literally revolutionised the food industry. It has become a major contributor to food safety, both protecting and preserving it. At the same time it is now regarded as an essential and cost-effective tool for food presentation.
Contributor to Food Safety
During the thirty or so years that plasticised PVC food packaging films have been available, they have become a major contributor to food safety, protecting meat and dairy products in particular from the micro-organisms that breed quickly when food is left uncovered.
Its versatility has also meant that cling film has become one of the most widely used materials for wrapping fresh meat in supermarkets; for food storage in catering establishments, and for protecting food at home.
The most commonly used plasticiser is di-2-ethylhexyl adipate, DEHA - often used with polymeric plasticisers. It has properties which are more suitable than some of the more common phthalate plasticisers like DOP, DINP and DIDP which are not generally used in the manufacture of food grade cling film.
Preserving Freshness
Plasticised PVC films preserve the freshness of meat as they have high oxygen and water vapour transmission. They are cost effective since they operate satisfactorily on high-speed packing machines and are effective for display as they have good clarity and are resistant to handling due to their good elastic recovery and puncture resistance. They have excellent cling and are easily heat-sealed.
For catering and household use, thinner films with less plasticiser are supplied. The benefits are the same as with meat wrapping with cling, clarity and strength being especially important.
Convenience
The main factors influencing the growth of food packaging are speed and convenience. Traditional frozen products such as green vegetables and carcass meat are declining, being overtaken by added value and convenience food sectors such as frozen ready meals.
The microwave has revolutionised the way people regard packaging. PVC cling films are excellent for covering dishes in which food is being stored or defrosted. Food trays now deliver consumer-ready food from fridge or freezer direct to the table.
Perfectly Safe to Use
Yet for all its versatility and obvious benefits, there has been media speculation about its safety. Cling film has been used in the USA for more than 30 years and for about 25 years in Europe and scientific research has repeatedly shown it is perfectly safe to use.
Whatever material is chosen for packaging food there is always some transfer from the constituents of the package to foodstuffs. A considerable amount of experimental work has been carried out to determine the migration from plasticised PVC into food. This migration is at levels which are considered totally safe by health authorities and which fall well within European Union regulations.
In tests conducted in the UK 1,2 and more recently in France, Germany, and the Netherlands, it was shown that the average DEHA intake was six to twenty times below the limits proposed by the EC Scientific Committee for Food which already have large margins of safety built in. Toxicologists and legislative authorities from across Europe agree that plasticisers used in food packaging pose no hazard to health or the environment.
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References
- Loftus, NJ Laird, WJD, Steel, GT, Wilks, MF and Woollen, BH (1994) Metabolism and pharmacokinetics of deuterium labelled di-2-(ethylhexyl)adipate (DEHA) in humans. Fd Chem. Toxic., 31 (9), 609-614.
- Loftus, NJ, Woollen, BH, Steel, GT, Wilks, MF and Castle, L. (1994). An assessment of the dietary uptake of di-2-(ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) in a limited population study. Fd Chem Toxic., 32 (1),1-5
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