Cling wrap - friend or foe ?

Cling Wrap- friend or foe?

In the latter half of last century, a product was launched that promised to keep foods fresh and secure. Cling wrap. As a kid I remember TV ads for Cling wrap for which the main selling point appeared to be it was so clingy that you could hold a bowl of food upside down over your head and not get a mess in your hair. A revolutionary leap forward! We now have so much cling wrap or plastic covering our foods that we seem to think plastic coverage is a necessary food fetish.

The impermeable barrier of Cling Wrap is designed to seal in the freshness in response to the drying atmosphere of our fridges. Many foods if placed unsealed will dry and appear old and cracked in a very short time. Dips, spreads, creams will harden and look unattractive. Similar with sandwiches- bread will harden and curl on the edges.

In the freezer, foods if not sealed by a protective plastic layer will develop freezer burn caused by the extraction of moisture.

Cling wrap and plastic is durable. It forms a seal that withstands being knocked about in a school or shopping bag making transportation easy. It doesn’t tear with the first hint of moisture like paper. Its benefit to food processors and packers is that a soft food product like a cucumber can be given a protective coat of armour as it negotiates its way along the food chain from farm to home fridge without damage.

However these moisture retention properties can be a problem.  Baked goods such as breads, pastries will lose their crust and delicious eating properties. Any high moisture baked pastry or cake will develop mould if stored in too warm an atmosphere. A bread bin, tin or paper bag is a protective alternative that will keep away pests but help to retain moisture.

Mould will develop from condensation on plastic wrapped cheese that has been at room temperature and then is placed in the cold fridge. This can be a health issue causing the growth of Listeria (a pathogenic bacteria active within a ‘safe’ fridge temperature range and introduced into food through poor personal hygiene).To prevent condensation on food items new to the fridge, simply store the item uncovered in the fridge for 30 mins and wrap later when the temperature has equalised to the fridge temp. Cheese processors understand their product is best enjoyed at room temperature and they have developed a semi permeable wrap which gives the durability of cling wrap but allows the cheese to breath. Before the advent of plastic waxed paper was used as an effective wrapping.

Not all fruits and vegetables benefit from being stored in plastic. Leafy vegetables, herbs, lettuce and celery will not go limp in the fridge if stored in plastic. Other fruits and vegetables will sweat from the Ethylene gas they produce, which naturally assists their ripening. Ethylene producing apples and tomatoes will soften and rot if stored in plastic in the fridge. I prefer to store tomatoes at room temperature to allow their flavour to develop and I only transfer tomatoes to the fridge when they are on the point of becoming over ripe and soft.

The amount of plastic that we use is over the top. Plastic is floating in our oceans. Marine life gets caught up in plastic, chokes to death or gets injured. Although plastic and cling wrap is cheap and readily available, plastic bags can be re-used after we have used them to safely bring groceries home. There is a growth in Bio degradable plastic which is less polluting or harmful if it finds its way into the ocean.

Cling wrap and plastic is useful, but its overuse is generating garbage and rotten food if used in appropriately. When in the grocers, stop before you automatically reach for a plastic bag to hold two onions.

Is there health issues for us over PVC or plasticisers being in contact with our food and causing cancer? The amount is negligible and not harmful.

Picture source: http://doblelol.com/2/crllopan-funny.htm, accessed 29.06.2014