Are plastic food storage containers safe?

There is a lot of chatter and concern about the safety of plastic storage containers these days. It seems that there have been some recent studies suggesting that when plastic comes in contact with certain foods, molecules of the chemicals in the plastic can leach into the food. Some sources swear plastic is safe….some are convinced dangerous substances like BPA and phthalate are leaching into our food, and some sources think select types of plastic are okay while others are harmful. Ahh!!

It’s a little scary and confusing, huh? Well…thankfully there IS an alternative! I’m transitioning to Pyrex glass storage containers. I think they’re great. I don’t have to worry about chemicals leaching into my food and heating up leftovers is a cinch! Depending on the type of leftovers, I either take the lid off (the lids are plastic and microwaving plastic=bad) and microwave with a piece of parchment paper on top, or pop it in the toaster oven on bake. They even make tiny ones which would be great to store small portions for the small people in your house.

Gerber response to BPA in their products

So… I’ve been doing all this research about BPA and phthalates and I am just stunned by Gerber’s response to my question about BPA in their products. I decided I need to share it. Other companies have been happy to share the information with me and seem to genuinely have an interest in finding alternatives to BPA and phthalates.

I will post their response below and let you make your own decision…

Thank you for your e-mail.

Safety is our top priority at Gerber Products Company, and we have a 79-year history of helping parents raise happy, healthy babies.

We are aware of recent media reports focusing on polycarbonate and Bisphenol A (BPA). Bisphenol A is a key component used to make polycarbonate plastic. We would like to help consumers understand why leading manufacturers of baby bottles, including Gerber, have concluded that polycarbonate is safe.

The US and Drug Administration (FDA) has considered relevant data available regarding the use of polycarbonate and has concluded that products made with polycarbonate are safe for use as intended.

Additionally, other leading scientific and regulatory authorities in Europe have concluded that the use of food contact polycarbonate for baby bottles is safe. In a recent letter to Fit Pregnancy magazine, the FDA stated that it sees no reason to ban or otherwise restrict the currently authorized food contact applications of polycarbonate.

Bisphenol-A is a key component used to make polycarbonate plastic.

The following Gerber cups are made of polycarbonate:
Premium Feeding System - Transition Cup 7 oz
Fun Grips® Soft Starter Spill-proof Cup
Little Suzy’s Zoo 2-handle Spill-proof Cup (6 oz)

The following Gerber cups and sports bottles are made of polypropylene:
Fun Grips® Spill-proof Cup (7 oz, 10 oz)
Fun Grips® Color Change Spill-proof Cup (7 oz, 10 oz)
Insulated Cool Cup (9 oz)
Sip & Smile Spill Proof Cups (7 oz, 10 oz)

Interchangeable hard spout lids are made of polyethylene.

Valves are made of polypropylene w/silicone valve.

Best wishes from your friends @ gerber.com.

hmmm…well….if BPA is okay….then why are all the other companies taking it out of their products?

Medela is BPA free…phew!

In light of research potentially linking BPA to health problems, Medela, the world’s leading manufacturer of breastpumps, issued a reminder in March of 2007 that all its breast shields and collection containers/bottles have always been made of polypropylene, a durable BPA-free plastic.

Here is what the folks at Medela have to say:

All existing research endorses the safety of polypropylene for breast milk collection, storage and feeding products. Products made of polypropylene, such as Medela’s breast shields and bottles, are easy to identify because the BPA-free plastic is slightly cloudier and more flexible. Polycarbonate is a hard, crystal clear plastic that contains BPA.

BPA is an industrial chemical used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic and has been shown to be potentially harmful to human health. It has been in the news recently in conjunction with a meeting earlier this month of an independent panel of 15 scientists convened by the National Institute of Environmental Health and Sciences to evaluate scientific literature about BPA.

“As the industry leader in breastpumping and breastfeeding, Medela is committed to always doing what is best for moms and babies,” said Carolin Archibald, vice president of marketing. “That is why Medela products that come into direct contact with breast milk, including all our breast shields and bottles, have always been made with BPA-free polypropylene plastic.”

Phew! This is good to know because I am super happy with my Medala pump. We have the “Pump in Style” model. In comes in a great bad and packs up really easily. For those of you who are breastfeeding….I highly recommend it.

Bright Starts Teethers

I contacted Bright Starts to ask them about their teethers this week. I had my fingers crossed that their teethers were BPA and phthalate free because Madeleine has been chewing on one for weeks! Seriously…shame on me for not checking sooner, but I was pleasantly surprised at their response. See below…

Hello Rebecca,

The plastic used for our clear teethers is called; EVA = Ethylene Vinyl Acetate

And our teethers are not filled with a gel; they are filled with sterilized water.

All of our products are phthalate; PVC, BPA and Latex free.

Please let me know if I can assist you with anything else.

Thank you,
Angela

Angela L. Tuttle

Consumer Services Temp
770.751.0442

It was refreshing to get this response. I have been writing to a lot of the companies (I’ll be posting their responses) and getting mixed messages and confusing answers about which of their products are BPA free and phthalate free. I wrote back and commended them for their efforts to keep our kids safe!

Safer Sippies

As I get ready to start Madeleine on “solids”, I have been doing a lot of research about what to put her water and solid food in before I hand it off to her. If you haven’t noticed there is a war on plastic, or at least some types of plastic. The public is really getting an education on the dangers that lurk in our drinking cup and storage containers.

You may have heard the buzz lately about things such as Bisphenol-A (BPA) a substance used in the production of certain types of plastic, which is an endocrine disruptor that can leach from polycarbonates when they’re used. From what I have read it is best to avoid using plastics that have the recylcing code #3, #6, and #7. How scary is it that these dangerous chemicals are in our children’s sippy cups AND baby bottles? Thankfully there is information on which plastic bottles and sippy cups are better than others

There are many out there, but here are just some of the plastic sippy varieties I found which DO NOT contain BPA….

Playtex Baby First Sipster & Playtex Coolster Tumbler are both BPA free. I was told by someone at Playtex that the only sippy made with polycarbonates is the 9oz Baby Einstein cup.

First Years has a number of options, including the Take & Toss variety, which is a favorite of one of my mom friends because her little son has an easy time holding it because it’s so lite….something to consider. Of course being an environmentally conscious person she washes and reuses instead of tossing after a single use. Also from First Years are the Spill Proof Cup and the 2 Handle Cup.

Come to find out there are also a whole bunch of these “alternative” sippy cups options if you’re just not cool with plastic.

Thermos has a metal sippy called Foogo. I think they are just adorable, but it seems them get mixed reviews out there on the web. I’m thinking of getting this one just because it is so darn cute. Yes, I know…not a way to determine which product to buy, but hey whatever mades you happy, right? Speaking of adorable…Sigg makes some aluminum sippies with super cute designs on them. I think these are more for toddlers because of the type of spout.

So after all my research…I guess I’m going to try the Foogo, get some First Years of the Take and Toss variety and and move up to the Sigg in good time!