Mastodawn

@skry I doubt anyone thought of studying food manufacturing of hot products and plastic containers and microplastic leaching.

@SnowyCA One of my most hated uses for plastic. Plastic isn’t allowed in my microwave. But it’s almost impossible to avoid buying some foods packaged in some kind of plastic. The US seems to default to wrapping everything.

I think we’re going to have to reinvent plastics because they occupy so many of our useful materials niches.

@skry
Like you, I never put plastic in my microwave--I've read about the problem with plastics leaching into the food, that's why I am concerned about manufacturing.

In order to prevent botulism and other contamination, canned goods like vegetables, sauces, fruit, are brought up to a specific high temperature , so what happens when processors do the same with plastic containers?
Is that applesauce, fruit cocktail or yogurt providing a serving of microplastics?

I've read articles about non-fossil fuel plastic alternatives and I wonder how many are being pushed out of the market by the present plastic industry, after all, it wouldn't be the first time something like that happened, if Ford hadn't existed, we would have been driving EVs 100 years ago.

@SnowyCA Plastic industries are caught between diminishing oil and the infeasibility of plastic recycling. And now this. I bet they would jump at the chance to be seen as the solution instead of the problem again.

@skry
"diminishing oil"
That's not quite correct Nigeria, Greenland, Venezuela, Canada to name a few, have vast untapped oil reserves, so I doubt there is much incentive for the industry to make the switch, in fact the opposite is true.

btw...notice anything interesting about those countries? Trump is aggressive with all 4 because of their oil and gas.

@SnowyCA Sorry, I meant because of “peak oil” production, but now I see from the search results that that is a slippery issue.

@skry
yes, and "peak oil production"--the world has never produced more plus my country is not the only #@$#@-ing one planning an increase this coming year!

@SnowyCA I also avoid buying stuff that was cooked in plastic for the reasons you mention. I wish more food was sold in reusable canning jars.

@skry
Yes, I try to avoid buying the same containers, but for example, have you tried to find margarine in stick form? Not available in my area. (I am allergic to dairy so butter is not an option, most margarine contain milk as well .)

Yes, I too wish more food was sold in reusable canning jars but the cost is prohibitive due to shipping weights. the (cost of shipping by truck is by weight ) and of course during transport from factory to the store shelf there are too many opportunities for breakage.

@SnowyCA The organic groceries here used to have margarines in paper sticks. Might still. I can’t buy yogurt or sour cream in paper cartons at all though.