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Food packaged in recycled cardboard may become contaminated by potentially harmful compounds, according to Swiss researchers.
They conducted a study in which they analyzed pasta noodles stored in boxes made from recycled paper products. The results, published in the journal Packaging Technology and Science, suggest that food can absorb mineral oils from printing inks that leach out of the recycled material.
According to standards established by a branch of the World Health Organization, the amount of these oils should not exceed 0.6 milligrams in each kilogram of food. But the researchers found that after six weeks of storage the noodles contained 6.1 mg/kg.
It's not clear how big a risk these compounds may pose to the public's health. A lot depends on how many foods may be tainted – and the total amount ingested. Even so, the lead researcher, Koni Grob of the Food Safety Laboratory in Zurich, noted that "a tension" is emerging between the desire to recycle more products and the need to safeguard the food supply.