Plastic bags used to parcel food pose serious health risks

It is understood that most food or beverages sold in restaurants or stalls contain trace quantities of contaminants, but in the case of the piping hot cups of tea purchased from roadside vendors in the City, the drink may actually be bad for you.

A series of investigations by Deccan Herald have shown that much of this tea is not transported in thermos flasks, as expected, but are actually stored in thin, low-quality packets of plastic. Not only does this practice suggest that the government’s awareness drive on the ill-effects of using plastic has seen little success, but according to medical practitioners, the food itself is frequently contaminated by chemicals found in the packets.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a doctor from a government hospital said that plastic bags are not only harmful to the environment but also to people. “There are various chemicals disseminated from plastic bags like polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene and polystyrene and consuming food or a hot drink from plastic packets leads to various complications in the human body,” he said.

Another medical practitioner, cardiovascular specialist, Sanjay Mehrotra, revealed that the average person in the City already has around two to three grams of plastic in their body. “In one way or other we are consuming plastic through our food,” he said. “People are not aware of the harmful affects of consuming food stored or carried in a plastic container or packet.”

Economic factor

Jamal, a tea-shop owner in Shivajinagar, admitted that the practice of storing tea in packets has become established for some time now. “Earlier, we used to sell tea in small plastic cups but that was not cost-effective,” he said. “We found plastic packets to be much more economical. This is the best way we can parcel the tea.”

Another Shivajinagar tea vendor, who did not wish to be named, brushed aside suggestions that it was harmful to use store food in plastic containers. “There is nothing wrong in consuming tea which is carried in a plastic packet, as it is carried only for a short distance, after which we transfer it into a normal cup,” he said.

The government doctor, however, took exception this claim. “The number of people suffering from kidney and throat ailments, cancer and infertility has been increasing in the City,” he said. “The rise in such cases is attributed largely to people eating hot food items carried in plastic bags or boxes — as they are of low quality. Whenever hot food or liquid is packed in a plastic bag there is an exchange of toxic chemicals into the food. Those chemicals include styrene and bisphenol and may lead to cancer, heart diseases and other reproductive problems.” A hotelier said certain restaurants insist that customers carry a non-plastic container for parcel items, but admitted that most restaurants still use plastic boxes, covers and cups unsuited for steaming food as it may lead to food poisoning.