Frequently Asked Questions
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Is it true that consumers are being put at risk as a result of
eating food that has been wrapped in cling film?
No. To the contrary, PVC food packaging film has 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.
Plasticised cling film has been used for more than 30 years in the
United States and for 25 years in Europe without one known case of
anyone having suffered as a result. It 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.
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But is it true that plasticisers leach from these products and
are being absorbed by the food they are protecting?
Whatever material is chosen for packaging food there is always
some transfer from the constituents of the packaging to foodstuffs
but this is in minute quantities.
Over the years, a considerable amount of research has been carried
out to determine the migration from plasticised PVC into food. This
migration is at levels which is considered totally safe by health
authorities and which falls well within the European Union
regulations.
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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 20 times below the limits proposed by the EU
Scientific Committee for Food. These limits already have large
margins of safety built in.
Toxicologists and legislative authorities across Europe agree
that plasticisers used in food packaging pose no hazards to health
or the environment.
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What plasticisers are used in the manufacture of cling
film?
By far the most widely used is DEHA (di-2-ethylhexyl adipate)
often used with polymeric plasticisers and epoxidised soya bean
oil.
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What are polymeric plasticisers?
They are polyesters that have a much higher molecular weight
than DEHA and therefore their rate of migration is much lower.
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What is the difference between a phthalate and an adipate?
It has a different chemical structure and is based on different
raw materials. One is based on phthalic anhydride and the other on
adipic acid.
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Why are phthalates not used?
DEHA allows cling film to remain flexible at much lower
temperatures. It also gives the required permeability to oxygen and
water vapour necessary to preserve the freshness of meat. For this
reason phthalate plasticisers like DOP, DINP and DIDP are not
generally used in the manufacture of food grade cling film.
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How can you tell the difference between a plasticised PVC cling
film and ones made of polythene?
The very simple answer is that polythene does not
‘cling’ as well.
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Are there any applications for which it is not suitable to use
cling film plasticised with DEHA and what should be used
instead?
In Europe there are very strict regulations governing the
quantity of additives that are allowed to migrate into foodstuffs.
Therefore manufacturers produce clingfilms to be used in specific
applications. These all comply with the allowed migration limits.
When DEHA is used in these films they will be used in conjunction
with other plasticisers and the proportion varies according to
use.
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How does the consumer know which one to use?
Cling film producers usually mark their products with a clear
indication as to how they should be used.
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Should cling film be used in microwave ovens?
There are specific types of cling film that can be used in
microwave ovens and in most countries these are clearly marked as
such. Most cling films specifically say for what they can be used.
There are also those which are specifically designed for storing
frozen food.
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Can cling film be used in conventional ovens?
Cling film is not designed to be used in conventional ovens.
Under such high temperatures it can melt. This is usually clearly
marked on the packaging.
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It is claimed that DEHA is an endocrine disrupter. Is this
true?
There is no validated scientific evidence to suggest that DEHA
is an endocrine disrupter.
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It is being said that there is a cancer risk from DEHA. Is this
true?
DEHA is not classified as a human carcinogen.
In rodent studies, during which DEHA was administered at very
high doses – many, many times higher than would ever be
experienced by humans during everyday use of cling film –
there has been evidence of liver cancer. However, the significant
species differences that exist between the ways in which a human
liver and a rodent liver respond to DEHA means that carcinogenicity
in humans from DEHA exposure is extremely unlikely.
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Is it true that DEHA causes human reproductive
problems?
No. There is no evidence that DEHA causes human reproductive
problems. It is true that DEHA, at high dose levels, has been shown
to cause reproductive effects in rats and mice. However, the
relevance of these findings to humans is limited due to the dose
level being far in excess of human exposure and the fact that
primates appear to be resistant to the reproductive effects seen in
rodents.
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Is it true that fatty foods, such as cheese or those containing
olive oil, should not be wrapped in cling film?
No. There are cling films available that can be used to wrap
high-fat foods
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But didn’t the UK government give a warning that
cling-film should not be used to wrap high fat foods?
Yes. In 1990 the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
(MAFF) issued an advisory to this effect. However, in 1995, the
Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and
the Environment (COT) gave safety clearance to both DEHA and
epoxidised soya bean oil (ESBO). The Food Advisory Committee
recognised that the clearance of these substances meant that cling
films were available which could be used to wrap high-fat foods and
so revised the 1990 advisory accordingly.
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Are there any countries that restrict the use of DEHA in food
wrap?
There are European migration limits, not just for DEHA but for
all additives in materials that come into contact with foodstuffs.
Apart from these limits, no.
References
- Loftus, N.J., Laird, W.J.D., Steel, G.T., Wilks, M.F. and
Woollen, B.H. (1994). Metabolism and pharmacokinetics of deuterium
labelled di-2-(ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) in humans. Fd Chem.
Toxic., 31 (9), 609-614
- Loftus, N.J., Woollen, B.H., Steel, G.T., Wilks, M.F. 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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