You shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of your food storage containers, but here we are. How did we get here?  Largely because of plastics. 

There are other toxic products such as certain types of glass, metals, aluminum foil, and enameled surfaces.  However, we’ve all grown up in a world dominated by plastics, and they’ve overshadowed all the other options, healthy or not.  

Plastic is out

You probably feel overwhelmed with choices because there are so many types of plastic storage containers, plastic bags, and plastic wrap, that you don’t know where to start.  Many of these claim to be non-toxic, convenient, and long-lasting.  Plus they’re cheap.    

Let me simplify this decision for you. 

Plastic is out.

Effects of plastic on your health

The marketing tells you that there are safe BPA-free plastic food containers, and they are not only food safe, but microwave safe.  Don’t believe the hype.

There are many studies showing that even these so-called “safe” plastics leach toxic chemicals into our food that are not yet banned by the FDA, but still harm your health. ¹

Some of the negative health effects include early menstruation, reduced sperm counts, obesity, cancer, negative effects on the reproductive organs, and other effects from endocrine disruptors, to name a few.

There are even some things you can do to make this chemical exposure worse.  Things like storing fats in plastic containers, heating them in the microwave, or storing hot food in them.  

Some chemical compounds used in the manufacturing process are fat-soluble.  That means that they can dissolve into your food directly.  

Examples of these chemicals are: 

• plasticizers, such as phthalates
• additives like antioxidants, colorants, and stabilizers
• processing aids such as lubricants, flow enhancers, anti-blocking agents, and release agents

These are all necessary evils of plastic production, whether it’s “food grade” or not.

If you’d like to learn more about this, I urge you to go to scholar.google.com and search for keywords such as ‘plastic manufacturing’ or ‘dangers of food grade plastic’ and read more about this.  There is far too much information out there for me to list in this article.

Effects of Plastic Manufacturing on the Environment

Plastic production, from raw material extraction (crude oil & natural gas) to manufacturing, involves significant energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.  A study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology estimated that global plastic production contributes to approximately 1.8 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.²

Certain additives in plastics, such as flame retardants and plasticizers, can contain persistent organic pollutants. These substances can accumulate in the environment and pose risks to human and ecological health. Studies like “Plastics and Environmental Health: The Road Ahead” (Landrigan et al., 2018) discuss the health implications of plastic-related pollutants.³

For all these reasons, we will not be recommending any plastic food storage containers or those that have plastic lids.

Is Silicone Safe?

Food-grade silicone is generally considered safe and has gained popularity in recent years for its heat resistance and non-stick properties. Although it is typically considered inert, meaning that doesn’t leach harmful substances, it’s important to note that not all food-grade silicone is created equal. 

Low-quality silicone can stain when exposed to certain foods or liquids and may become deformed or melt under high temperatures which causes fillers such as silica, plasticizers, talc, dyes, and pigments to leach into the foods that are being stored in them.

Silicone is not biodegradable and is difficult to recycle.  There are specialized recycling and upcycling programs, but they are not as widespread or established as they are for other materials.

For these reasons, we will not be recommending silicone containers.  We may include containers with a high-quality silicone seal or lid, because of the inertness and durability of the material.

What does non-toxic mean?

Good for you, but also good for the Earth

“Non-toxic” refers to substances or products that are not harmful, poisonous, or capable of causing adverse health effects when used as intended.  

I will add that the manufacturing process should be as clean and low-impact as possible.  If the by-products of a product’s creation include harmful chemicals or lots of emissions, those pollutants are hurting the earth and humanity.  That’s no bueno.

You might also like: Sustainable Water Filtration

A good quality ‘non-toxic’ product should also last a very long time (generations), and be easily recyclable. 

Another standard you’ll often see is that a non-toxic product should meet regulations and safety standards set by the government.  While that is true, we’ve already established that regulations surrounding plastic production are woefully lacking.  So, take this one with a grain of salt.

Best non-toxic food storage containers

Fortunately, it has never been easier to find high-quality, non-toxic food storage.  This is because there aren’t many good options out there.

Once we apply these four basic questions, you’ll see that the safest food storage containers are easy to find:

• How non-toxic is it?
• How clean is the manufacturing process?
• How long will it last?
• How well does it seal?  (This minimizes mess and helps eliminate food waste by keeping it fresher longer)

There are several good options when it comes to selecting a non-toxic food storage solution.  Some of the most common include:

• Glass storage containers
• Stainless steel containers
• Stoneware (ceramic)
• Beeswax wraps

Each option has its pros and cons, especially considering what type of food you need to store – but what’s the best option?

Let’s take a look at each of these plastic-free food storage containers and discuss the pros, cons, best practices for use, and best source for each.

Glass food storage containers

There are many, many options when it comes to glass food storage containers.  A stroll down the kitchenware aisle at your local big box store will leave your head spinning with choices. Aside from price, does it matter which one you choose?  It might.

Let’s start with the glass type.  There are two main types of glass you may encounter – borosilicate glass and soda-lime glass.  Soda-lime is much more common and easy to find.  Both types are safe to use, but there are a few differences.

Borosilicate glass

Is mainly composed of silica and boron trioxide, which gives the glass a low coefficient of thermal expansion.  That means that when subjected to rapid temperature changes, it’s much less likely to crack or break.  It is also more resistant to chemical corrosion.  Lastly, it is very clear, with no color cast.  It is the more expensive option.

Soda-lime glass

Is mainly composed of silica, soda ash, and lime.  It is somewhat more prone to crack when exposed to rapid temperature changes, but take things slow and you’ll be ok.  After all, most canning jars are made from this type of glass.  

However, soda-lime glass does have a higher mechanical strength than borosilicate, meaning it is less likely to break when dropped.  It’s also easier to manufacture, which means it has a lower energy footprint.

Soda-lime glass does have a slight blue-green color cast, which makes it fairly easy to identify. 

Both types of glass are recyclable. 

What to Avoid

Things to be careful with are decorative glassware and traditional lead crystal glassware.  These could contain heavy metals like lead or cadmium, which could leach into your food.  Always be sure to verify that your glass is food-safe glass, especially if it’s antique glassware. 

Here are some of our recommendations for the best glass food storage containers and glass jars:

Note that I did not include the Caraway food storage set in this list.  The lids of the Caraway are not leakproof, and I also see no need for a ceramic coating over glass. 

It’s trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist, and using energy to do so.

Stainless Steel Containers

Stainless steel containers are lightweight like plastic but have long been at a disadvantage because they weren’t microwave-safe.  But guess what…

There’s been a new advance in stainless steel food container design, enabling the manufacture of microwave-safe stainless containers!  

This is groundbreaking, because these containers are completely food-safe, just as light as plastic, and longer lasting than plastic, plus their lids fasten more securely. 

This makes these stainless steel containers a direct replacement for plastic – an upgrade even.

We love using these when traveling, backpacking, or just for lunch. 

Here are some of the best options:

Stoneware

I wish there were more stoneware options available because it’s my favorite of all these materials.  It’s the oldest by far, ancient in fact.  There are very few decent options that can compete with the glass and metal offerings though, and of those, most come with plastic lids. 

The main thing with any ceramic is to make sure it has a non-toxic glaze.  Everything listed here is safe, but if you source or commission anything locally, just make sure your artisan is using a safe glaze. 

Be wary of any off-brands or products that don’t specifically state they are food-safe.  Lead poisoning is the main concern here. 

Beeswax Wraps

Beeswax wraps are not only a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic wrap, but they are 100% natural and non-toxic. You can use them exactly like you would use plastic wrap and they are reusable! Once they wear out, throw them in your compost bin.

The Convenience Paradox

The paradox between convenience and safety in using plastics for food storage highlights a dual narrative in modern living. On one hand, plastics offered a perceived convenience — lightweight, shatterproof, and easily sealable, they streamlined our hectic lifestyles. 

However, this very convenience introduces a safety dilemma.  The expedience of plastic containers clashes with the growing concern over health risks associated with the ingestion of harmful chemicals. Balancing the ease of plastic use with the desire for safer food storage options highlights the ongoing challenge of reconciling convenience with health-conscious and eco-conscious choices in our daily lives. 

Hopefully, this list I’ve put together has helped you to move past the perceived convenience of plastics and realize that there are better, safer natural materials available.  Materials that are more useful and thus, more convenient than plastic ever was. 

Conclusion

Ultimately, choosing the best storage option from this list will depend on your specific needs.  I’ve presented you with various materials, form factors, and price ranges.  Perhaps you’ll need a variety to fit different use cases, much like my family does.

Whichever options you choose, you can feel confident that you are getting the best-value, safest non-toxic food storage for your family – and something that you can pass down to them.

References

1. Bittner, G.D., Yang, C.Z. & Stoner, M.A. Estrogenic chemicals often leach from BPA-free plastic products that are replacements for BPA-containing polycarbonate products. Environ Health 13, 41 (2014). ↩︎
2. Fredric Bauer, Tobias D. Nielsen, Lars J. Nilsson, Ellen Palm, Karin Ericsson, Anna Fråne, Jonathan Cullen, Plastics and climate change—Breaking carbon lock-ins through three mitigation pathways, One Earth, Volume 5, Issue 4, 2022, Pages 361-376, ISSN 2590-3322 ↩︎
3. North, Emily J., and Rolf U. Halden. “Plastics and environmental health: the road ahead.” Reviews on environmental health 28.1 (2013): 1-8. ↩︎