Are plastic food containers safe for storing and heating food?

For many of us, plastic containers are part of our everyday; we use them to store, freeze, heat and transport food and drink. But some scientists are concerned that the chemicals in plastic have the potential to damage our health.

Studies have shown that some of the thousands of substances used to make plastic products can 'leach, external' into the food and drinks we consume.

But manufacturers and most food safety authorities say plastic food containers are safe to use as intended. Though, some scientists recommend avoiding heating food in plastic as a precaution.

Regulations set out by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) state what substances can and can't be used in plastic that comes into contact with food. Under these rules, it's unlawful for manufacturers to use materials that release chemicals into food at harmful levels, external.

According to the British Plastics Federation (BPF), external, one of the most common types of plastics used in food packaging is polypropylene (it can be found in everything from crisp packets to biscuit wrappers). Takeaway food containers, which many of us keep and re-use, tend to be made from this or another plastic called polyethylene or both.

Other chemicals are added during manufacturing too, such as colourants or substances to make the containers flexible.

"The chemical composition of plastics is incredibly complex," says Dr Jane Muncke, managing director and chief scientific officer at the Food Packaging Forum, external.

Not only do the chemicals change as they react with each other during manufacturing, but unknown components end up in the mix too. These are referred to as non-intentionally added substances (NIAS), external.

It's not disputed that certain chemicals migrate out of plastic into food and drinks, and some are absorbed by our bodies. "We also know that certain types of food can lead to higher chemical transfer," Muncke says.

Acidic foods (such as tomato sauce) or fatty ones (like lasagne) are prone to absorbing more chemicals from plastic containers than others. "The transfer is also higher with hot foods. This means you might absorb a higher dose of chemicals by microwaving food in a plastic container than you would when using the same container to store salad."

Two chemicals historically found in plastic are particularly controversial: phthalates, external (used to soften plastics) and bisphenol A, external, aka BPA (used to make very hard plastic). Both are known to interfere with the body's hormones and can potentially affect normal growth and fertility, negatively impact our immune systems and increase our risk of cancer, external.

As a result of the mounting evidence around BPA's health risk, external, in 2024 the European Commission introduced a ban on BPA in "food contact materials", meaning it is being phased out in the manufacture of everyday products like water bottles. The UK is currently considering a similar ban, external for BPA and other harmful bisphenols.

So, if we want to avoid chemicals migrating into our food, what are the best containers to use?

"The composition of plastics is changing all the time," says Dr Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Centre for Health Research in Washington, external. "Like most people, I have a kitchen filled with old plastic containers and I have no idea what's in them."

Whichever chemicals they contain, plastics break down over time and can potentially release trace amounts into food. "This is more likely to happen when the plastic has been heated or when it's old and has been repeatedly used and washed," she says.

Given our uncertainty about what chemicals are in our plastic food containers and the extent to which they can leach into food, Zuckerman recommends glass or ceramic containers, especially for hot food and heating food in a microwave.

"When the manufacturer states that a container is microwave safe, that just means it won't melt," Zuckerman says.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in the US, the world's largest organisation of food and nutrition professionals, advises to only use plastic containers to store cold food, external.

Not all experts agree about the health risks plastic containers pose. Dr Rachel Orritt from Cancer Research UK, external says there's a lack of current evidence that using plastics causes cancer. "This includes drinking from plastic bottles and using plastic containers and bags to store food in," she says. "Even if food is heated in these containers for hours at a time, they will not increase cancer risk."

Originally published January 2024. Updated February 2026.

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