<story><title>Consumer Reports finds &apos;widespread&apos; presence of plastics in food</title><url>https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/consumer-reports-finds-widespread-presence-plastics-food-2024-01-04/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>achrono</author><text>It&amp;#x27;s time to come up with what I&amp;#x27;d call a Plastic Chain Index. For any given edible item, a very low plastic chain index implies that it would only have plastic inadvertently absorbed from the environment, whereas a high one would be e.g. those super hot French fries rolling in plastic.&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;#x27;re optimistic, this will usher in easy measurement, widespread awareness and consumer enlightenment.&lt;p&gt;But realistically, we will spend decades over confusion as to whether a high PCI &lt;i&gt;really&lt;/i&gt; makes for poorer health or not, where are the double-blind trials, decade long cohort studies and meta-analyses etc. until enough human sacrifices have been conducted to appease the plausible deniability of these companies.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>galdosdi</author><text>Indeed. Until then we hapless individuals trapped in the present will have to resort to heuristics.&lt;p&gt;The best one I can think of to start with is avoid processing. The more processed a food is the more opportunities it had to potentially be contaminated. Contamination can happen with raw ingredients too, but at least that&amp;#x27;s fewer opportunities strictly speaking.&lt;p&gt;So, for example, in order from most dangerous to least:&lt;p&gt;French fries from a restaurant&lt;p&gt;French fries pre sliced in a bag but you bake them&lt;p&gt;Raw whole potatos you yourself slice up and fry in oil you purchased&lt;p&gt;Raw whole potatos of random origin, baked&lt;p&gt;Raw whole potatos of known origin, baked&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#x27;s very similar idea to eating lower on the food chain to avoid bioaccumulated toxins.&lt;p&gt;Just a heuristic but can&amp;#x27;t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Happens to coincidentally also be a good way to eat healthy in general even ignoring contamination.&lt;p&gt;PS: if anyone has any other ideas for heuristics I want to know them!</text></comment>
<story><title>Consumer Reports finds &apos;widespread&apos; presence of plastics in food</title><url>https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/consumer-reports-finds-widespread-presence-plastics-food-2024-01-04/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>achrono</author><text>It&amp;#x27;s time to come up with what I&amp;#x27;d call a Plastic Chain Index. For any given edible item, a very low plastic chain index implies that it would only have plastic inadvertently absorbed from the environment, whereas a high one would be e.g. those super hot French fries rolling in plastic.&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;#x27;re optimistic, this will usher in easy measurement, widespread awareness and consumer enlightenment.&lt;p&gt;But realistically, we will spend decades over confusion as to whether a high PCI &lt;i&gt;really&lt;/i&gt; makes for poorer health or not, where are the double-blind trials, decade long cohort studies and meta-analyses etc. until enough human sacrifices have been conducted to appease the plausible deniability of these companies.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>JumpCrisscross</author><text>&amp;gt; &lt;i&gt;a very low plastic chain index implies that it would only have plastic inadvertently absorbed from the environment&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or just measure them and publish test results. Naming and shaming works in the consumer packaged goods market.</text></comment>