Update on the Safety of Polystyrene Foodservice Products and California’s Proposition 65
Below you will find information on a proposal by a California agency that relates to the compound styrene—the primary building block of polystyrene (a common type of plastic)—as well as links to information about the safety of polystyrene foodservice products.
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Safety of Polystyrene Foodservice Products
Polystyrene has been used in foodservice products—foam coffee cups, salad bar takeout containers, hot noodle cups and more—for more than five decades. Polystyrene has been reviewed by regulatory agencies (including U.S. FDA) that have deemed it safe for use in contact with food. Public health officials also have recognized the important sanitary benefits of these disposable foodservice products, particularly in settings such as hospitals, schools, nursing homes, cafeterias and restaurants where it is critical that the foodservice ware in contact with food be clean and hygienic.
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Proposed “Prop 65” Listing of Styrene Not Based on New Safety Information
Proposition 65 is a California law passed in 1986 that requires the state to create a list of substances that it believes could present health hazards. The list has more than 700 substances that you already may recognize and in fact are used safely everyday in small amounts, such as aspirin and caffeine. The mere fact that a compound appears on the list does not mean that normal everyday exposure to these substances will lead to health problems.
The California agency that administers this list has proposed adding the compound styrene. The agency is not basing this proposal on any new scientific findings on styrene. Styrene has had decades of scientific review, and it is not categorized as a known human carcinogen by any regulatory or scientific review agency. Rather, California agency officials have stated that they are required to add styrene to the list due to a recent court decision affecting the way the list is administered.
Consumers can continue to feel confident that their decision to enjoy polystyrene foodservice products is based not only on decades of scientific research but also on the safety approvals of FDA and other agencies charged with the safety of food packaging.
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