Consumers claim two main selling points of the brand – bags that are “fit” or “safe” in freezers and microwaves, which is misleading and puts people at higher risk, and the manufacturer of Ziploc bags has been attacked by class action lawsuits.
What happened?
According to the lawsuit, the complainant Linda Cheslow went to Ziploc Maker SC Johnson & Son, Inc, California on April 25. File a lawsuit. As a class action lawsuit, the document also enumerates “all other similar locations” (i.e. those using Ziploc Bags) as a joint plan.
Ziploc bags have already made them at least one environmentally-related strike, as they are often single-use plastic items. Most importantly, the lawsuit insists that the brand’s parent company engages in “material omissions” when tagging Ziploc bags “microwave safe” and “fit for freezer use.”
The lawsuit argues that “actually” Ziploc bags and containers are made of polyethylene and polypropylene – two manufacturing materials, the document states: “Scientific and medical evidence shows that microplastics are released when microwaved and frozen”.
Therefore, Ziploc bags are said to be “basically unsuitable for microwave and freezer use”, although their labels “cause consumers think they are suitable for microwave and freezing without the risk of microplastics immersed in food”. According to the document, consumers may “inadvertently expose themselves and their families to undisclosed microplastics in conventional kitchen practices.”
Why are micro plastics so big?
As the lawsuit explains, microplastics are “small plastic particles with diameters less than 5 mm”, a by-product of a larger plastic breakdown.
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Research on the effects of microplastics on human health is underway, but they are related to cognitive and behavioral problems, reproductive complications, and cancer.
As Ziploc's lawsuit claims, even consumers who do their best to avoid exposure to microplastics can turn it into a “false sense of security” through allegedly misleading labels.
What are the ways to make microplastics?
While it is easy for researchers to admit that we do not fully understand the risk range of microplastic postures, one urged consumers and lawmakers to “take action before we get all the answers.”
When it comes to food storage, a source of particularly direct contact with microplastics, home chefs have excellent solutions to remove plastic from equations, keep containers away from landfills, and are very economical: wash and reused glass jar packaging.
Using less plastic as a whole is one of the best ways to limit your exposure to microplastics and save on single use of goods while placing the plastic outside of the landfill.
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