Plastics that are safe to use as food storage containers include:
- Plastic #1: PET or PETE – (Polyethylene Terephthalate)
- Plastic #2: HDPE – (High Density Polyethylene)
- Plastic #4: LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene)
- Plastic #5: PP – (Polypropylene)
Furthermore, are all plastic containers food grade?
Food Grade Plastics Approved By The FDA. You don’t have to be a plastics expert to determine whether a material is food grade. The easiest way to check is to look for the Resin Identification Code—i.e., recycling number—which identifies the type of plastic material.
Keeping this in consideration, how can you tell if a plastic container is food safe? Examine any food-handling symbols imprinted on the plastic bucket. A standardized system of symbols is used on plastics to indicate their appropriate uses around food. A symbol depicting a cup and fork means that the plastic is safe for storing food, and is therefore a food grade bucket.
In this way, what plastics should you avoid?
Dr. Trasande recommended avoiding items labeled 3 for phthalates, 7 for bisphenols and 6 for styrene. (Styrene, which is found in Styrofoam and other plastic products, is “reasonably anticipated” to be a human carcinogen, according to the National Institutes of Health.)