{"id":370,"date":"2024-06-24T13:17:51","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T13:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/friendsofglass.com\/uk\/why-glass\/why-glass-health\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T12:37:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T12:37:37","slug":"health","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/friendsofglass.com\/uk\/why-glass\/health\/","title":{"rendered":"Why glass-health"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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Health Benefits<\/p>\r\n

What makes glass a healthy food packaging?<\/h1>\r\n
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No matter where you live, unless <\/span>you\u2019re<\/span> growing your entire diet from scratch, the chances are that you rely on packaging <\/span>each and every<\/span> day to protect your food, drink and other goods and ensure longevity.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But w<\/span>hat is the connection between packaging and our health?\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Packaging is essential in helping manufacturers and companies preserve the safety and quality of our food and drinks, but also to protect a wide range of health and beauty products \u2013 from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics and perfumes.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This packaging can come in a range of shapes, sizes and materials, depending on how an item needs to pass through the supply chain, what kind of information it needs to convey to consumers, and\u202f<\/span>how the brand wants to present itself to stand out on the shelves<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the case of food products, the materials used to wrap or package them are known as \u2018Food Contact Materials\u2019 (sometimes referred to as FCMs, for short) \u2013 they form the layer that comes into direct contact with content itself. These are crucial for maintain food and drinks\u2019 standards and safeguard public health.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What chemicals can be found in packaging?<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Recent health research from Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition\u202ffound that close to an estimated <\/span>3,000 chemicals could potentially leak from certain packaging materials into food itself,<\/span><\/a> making human exposure to these chemicals highly probable. Other studies and health programs have even detected harmful substances, such <\/span>as microplastics, in\u202fhuman blood<\/span><\/a>, human <\/span>placenta\u202f<\/span><\/a>or\u202f<\/span>breast milk<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The scary thing? Most of these chemicals \u2013 65%, to be precise \u2013 have never yet been recorded in any regulatory or industry list to date. And of the thousands of detected chemicals that could potentially leak into food, more than two thirds were identified in plastics, affecting our health and that of the environment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since most packaging scores today fail to consider these chemicals into account, choosing the right packaging can be tough for even the most avid shoppers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But if you too want to look beyond the label and consider more than just environmental factors, there are some tools that can help! For example, the Food Packaging Forum’s Understanding Packaging (UP) Scorecard is a free, user-friendly <\/span>tool to assess human and environmental health impacts of common foodware<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn <\/span>\u00a0more<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\r\n

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But why <\/span>is glass<\/span> a <\/span>health<\/span>y <\/span>choice<\/span>?<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\r\n
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Glass protects our favourite food and drinks<\/h3>\r\n

or one,\u202fglass needs no other ingredients, chemicals, or plastic linings to protect our food,\u202fkeeping food and drink fresher for longer. Ever notice how<\/span> products<\/span> that need to be stored reliably for <\/span>long periods<\/span> of time \u2013 say jams, pickles, or honey \u2013 often come in a glass jar? <\/span>That\u2019s<\/span> not a coincidence! The first thing you learn in <\/span><\/span>Food Preserving 101 is that glass acts as a natural barrier<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> from <\/span>high temperatures<\/span> or bacteria. <\/span>The <\/span>Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition <\/span><\/span>study<\/span><\/span><\/a> actually <\/span>found<\/span> glass to be one of the safest food contact materials when it comes to chemical detection.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n

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Glass is an inert material<\/h3>\r\n

Glass is one of the most inert materials. Thanks to its chemical make-up, even the tiniest molecules can\u2019t pass through the glass barrier to affect the flavour\u202finside, and likewise,\u202fbottles and containers don\u2019t absorb any chemicals or contaminants\u202ffrom what\u2019s inside. This makes it one of the most suitable materials for food packaging to protect consumer health and ensure product safety (for one breakdown, look to\u202f<\/span>Dieter Schrenk\u2019s 2014 study<\/span><\/a>).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more? It\u2019s also the only packaging out there recognised as safe (GRAS) by the U.S. <\/span>FDA \u200b<\/span><\/a>and EU <\/span>REACH<\/span><\/a> regulations.\u200b<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n\r\n

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Glass remains healthy even when recycled<\/h3>\r\n

And being chemical-free isn\u2019t just a one-time thing. You may have heard <\/span>that glass can be recycled again and again<\/span><\/a>, but did you know that\u202fa bottle recycled for the tenth time is just as healthy as one that\u2019s completely brand new?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s because only<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>ingredients <\/span>found in nature <\/span>and recycled content are used to make new bottles and containers, which stay chemically inactive no matter how many times they\u2019re recycled. In short, glass is a circular material \u2013 i.e., it can live many new lives after being recycled <\/span>without <\/span>coming<\/span> at the expense of human health.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n

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Glass is made from\u00a0materials found in nature<\/h3>\r\n

That\u2019s<\/span> right<\/span>!<\/span> Glass is made from raw materials found in <\/span>natur<\/span>e,<\/span> such as sand, soda ash and limestone.<\/span> Together with <\/span>recycled content<\/span>,<\/span> glass <\/span>is <\/span>then <\/span>formed <\/span>into a <\/span>single-layer<\/span> material<\/span> that <\/span>can <\/span>protect<\/span> a wide variety of products, from delicious food<\/span>s <\/span>to the most delicate <\/span>medicines<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n\n

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Choosing <\/span>glass<\/span> means<\/span> putting health and food safety first<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

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At a time when almost half of us are concerned about the safety of product packaging for food and hygiene products, nearly 8 in 10 of us see glass packaging as the material that\u2019s fit for the future<\/a>, thanks to its prime health and lifestyle credentials. When compared to other food contact materials like plastic, for instance, glass is trusted to never pose a health hazard more than twice as much.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So choosing glass is choosing to put health and safety first. Next time you go to the supermarket, remember to choose packaging that is inherently healthy and the natural choice to protect our health and our families!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n \r\n

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Related posts<\/p>\r\n

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Healthy lunch on the go, in glass jars!<\/a><\/h4>\r\n

\nIt\u2019s January and for many of us this month heralds the inevitable backlash against the indulgence of food and drink during the Christmas period. While there\u2019s no shortage of advice on getting fit and healthy: gyms, the latest diets and the new super-foods, the expense, time and effort these things take can be overwhelming. <\/p> \r\n

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Glass & Health Go Hand In Hand<\/a><\/h4>\r\n

Here at Friends of Glass we are always happy to find out about little glass gems across the UK and our latest discovery is a brand new juice bar in Brighton called YOU JUICE. <\/p> \r\n

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Glass – A Powerful Ally Against Disease<\/a><\/h4>\r\n

The World Health Organization has stated that cancers figure among the leading causes of death worldwide, accounting for 8.2 million deaths in 2012. Help limit the spread of diseases by using glass packaging. Glass is 100% inert, meaning no unwanted chemicals in your food. <\/p> \r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/svg>1 min <\/p>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":365,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-370","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy glass-health - Friends of Glass UK<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n