Those aluminium foils used for food packaging might have potential health risks

Be it your office lunch or your kids’ lunchbox, when it comes to food storage and packaging, one thing that is common to all is the aluminium foil that helps keep the food fresh and hot.

But the findings of recent studies might compel you to reduce its usage in your daily routine.

Reducing the consumption of food kept in aluminium packaging can lead to a decrease in potential health risks, reveals a latest study. The high levels of aluminium compounds may cause kidney, liver and bone damage as well as neurotoxic developmental disorders among other things.

For the study analysis, the inputs of the different sources of overall aluminium consumption by people were compared with one another.

The BfR (BFR Federal Institute For Risk Assessment) based its assessment of the population’s aluminium intake from food on the latest consumption and concentration data, which showed the average aluminium concentrations in the different food categories.

The BfR generally advises against the preparation and storage of, in particular, acidic and salty foods in uncoated aluminium articles or aluminium foil. If the aforementioned and avoidable sources of intake are reduced, most consumers are not expected to suffer any adverse health effects.

The BfR recommends that manufacturers take appropriate measures to reduce the amount of aluminium in food. These may include, for instance, using raw materials with low aluminium content or coated materials for processing and packaging food.