With the development of the times, aluminum foil is used in various fields of life for food packaging such as cooking food, baking food, barbecue, and aviation packaging. There are also other industries such as milk powder, canned food, medicines, and cosmetics. Now more and more businesses use aluminum foil products to package food, which is also common in takeout. Most people think that eating too much food in plastic boxes is not good, so what about aluminum? Aluminum is a metal element. Will long-term use of food in aluminum foil lunch boxes cause harm to human health?
1. What is aluminum foil
Aluminum foil is an ultra-thin continuous metal sheet made directly from metal aluminum through a calendering process. It does not contain heavy metals and other harmful substances. In the production process of aluminum foil, a high-temperature annealing and disinfection process is used. Therefore, aluminum foil can be safely in contact with food. Its thickness is usually 0.01-0.03 mm. According to the national standard "Refined Aluminum Foil", the toxic elements in aluminum foil should meet the following regulations: lead: not more than 0.01%, cadmium: not more than 0.01%, arsenic: not more than 0.01%. Therefore, the best choice for packaging of barbecue, food, etc. is high-quality aluminum foil, and its lead content should comply with national standards.
2. Environmentally friendly and recyclable
Aluminum has extremely high recyclability and regeneration, can be recycled and reused infinitely, has limited quality loss, and can maintain its original characteristics. Recycled aluminum can be used to produce many finished products. The energy required for the recycling process of aluminum foil is only less than 5% of the energy required for the production of original aluminum, and the greenhouse gas emissions are 95% less than that of original aluminum. Aluminum foil lunch boxes can be easily compressed after use and are easy to sort, thereby reducing the amount of garbage generated.
3. Use of aluminum foil lunch boxes
Aluminum is a very active metal. It is easily oxidized by oxygen in the air to form aluminum oxide at room temperature and pressure. Aluminum oxide is a dense protective film that can prevent some substances from further corroding aluminum. Moreover, aluminum foil lunch boxes are all coated, and no chemical reaction will occur in the air at all, so no toxic substances will be produced, and they can be used with confidence. But one thing to note is that it is not suitable to store acidic foods in aluminum foil containers, which will destroy the surface oxide layer and accelerate corrosion. Aluminum foil packaging boxes can be directly placed in ovens, grills, air fryers, steam cabinets, electric ceramic stoves, and open flames for direct heating, but are not suitable for heating in microwave ovens.
Aluminum foil boxes have good barrier properties and heat resistance, which can effectively prevent food from contacting the external environment, keep food fresh, and avoid contamination. Moreover, it has a long history as a food packaging material, and has been used in Europe and the United States for more than 40 years. Aluminum foil has been widely verified for making food packaging containers, including takeaway packaging. The material itself is non-toxic and harmless, and will not cause harm to the body under normal use conditions, so it can be used with confidence.
