A study in the journal Nature reported that more than 1,800 food contact chemicals are known to migrate from items used to store, process, package, and serve foodstuffs. Many of these chemicals are known to be hazardous, and others have never been tested for toxicity.

Scientists reported that 25 percent of the known food contact chemicals were found to be present in humans. Eighty of these chemicals were found to have hazardous properties.

How food is collected and packaged is important. The U.S. government should set standards on this, but there is very little regulation of food packaging. From this article, it’s clear we’re not doing enough.

What can you do?

• The easiest solution is to prepare your food at home and store it in containers that are safe. Glass and stainless steel containers are the safest.

• Do not wrap/store food in plastic or aluminum foil. If you have to use these substances, wrap or cover the food in environmentally friendly parchment paper.

• You need to spend time in the kitchen. Simply eating out or carrying out from restaurants will never be a healthy eating plan.

• Eat organic food free of pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, and synthetic hormones.