As a manufacturer and supplier of takeaway lunch boxes, we are well aware of the characteristics of different materials and their advantages in practical use. Choosing the right takeaway lunch box is not only about product functionality, but also about consumer health and safety and environmental responsibility.
I. Types and characteristics of takeaway lunch boxes
Below are the types of takeaway lunch boxes that our company YANGRUI recommends and their characteristics:
1. Cardboard-type boxes
Cardboard boxes are usually made of sulphate bleached wood pulp paper and coated with water resistant chemicals. These containers are less contaminated, safer and suitable for room temperature food. They are relatively expensive due to the high cost of raw materials, but have better environmental friendliness. Our company uses high-quality pulp material in production to ensure that every paper lunch box meets food safety standards.
2. Biodegradable Plastic Lunch Box
This type of lunch box is highly environmentally friendly and can decompose naturally within a few months after disposal, reducing the burden on the environment. The market mainly uses #1, #5 and #6 plastics, of which #5 plastic (polypropylene, PP) has better heat resistance and is suitable for microwave heating. As a food packaging solutions provider, we are committed to using environmentally friendly plastic materials to ensure that each lunch box has minimal impact on the environment after use.
3. Disposable foaming plastic tableware
This type of cutlery is mainly made of foaming agent and polystyrene, which is suitable for use in low temperature environments, but at high temperatures it can release toxic gases (e.g. hydrogen chloride), which are potentially hazardous to health. Our company avoids the use of such materials and always chooses plastic materials that are harmless to the human body.
4. PP (polypropylene) plastic lunch box
PP lunch boxes are widely used in the takeaway industry due to their non-toxic, odourless and heat-resistant properties.PP plastic is one of the most common materials used in takeaway lunch boxes due to its high strength and hardness, and can withstand high temperatures of about 100°C. The PP lunch boxes produced by our company are of stable quality and undergo strict testing to ensure compliance with food safety and hygiene standards. Can you put to go containers in the microwave?Microwave safe of plastic lunch box , but use containers labelled "microwave safe" to avoid chemical migration.
5. Corn starch-based lunch box
Compostable food containers made from bio-based materials that can be decomposed in industrial composting facilities to reduce environmental pollution. Paper takeaway containers made from paper and cardboard with good processing and printing properties, low cost and easy to recycle and degrade. But adopting food-grade corn starch as the main raw material, it is green and non-toxic and non-polluting. These lunch boxes are high temperature resistant and suitable for microwaving, steaming and refrigeration, but long time high temperature heating is not recommended. As a company, we focus on environmental protection and strive to provide our customers with greener and safer lunch box solutions.
II. Which takeaway lunch boxes cannot be heated?
As a supplier of takeaway lunch boxes, we focus on the safety of heating the boxes during the design and production process. Different materials have different adaptability to heating and consumers need to be aware of this when using them to avoid potential health risks.
1. Heating limitations of different materials
Disposable fast food containers: PP plastic is generally used, and the box body can be heated, but the lid is usually made of PS material, which is not resistant to high temperature and is easily deformed. When heating, it is recommended to remove the lid to avoid the release of harmful substances.
- Cake boxes: common transparent plastic boxes are made of No.1 PET plastic, which is poor in heat resistance and not suitable for heating, especially not for use in microwave oven.
- Milk bottles: 1.5L milk bottles are usually made of No. 2 HDPE plastic, which cannot be heated in microwave oven and should be avoided to be heated directly in microwave oven.
- Paper cutlery: As the surface of paper cutlery is usually coated with water and oil resistant plastic film (e.g. PP or PE), heating may result in melting of the film material, affecting food safety.
2. Risks of heating special food containers
- Aluminium foil lunch box: As aluminium foil will generate electric current and sparks in microwave oven, and it is easy to cause fire when heating greasy food, our company strictly avoids the use of aluminium foil as the production material of lunch box.
- Cornstarch-based lunch boxes: although these lunch boxes are environmentally friendly, they may soften when heated, affecting food safety, and are not suitable for heating in microwave ovens.
- Paper bags with film: These paper bags are coated with polyethylene film, which may melt when heated in a microwave oven, resulting in harmful substances seeping into the food and posing food safety risks.
III. How to identify safe disposable lunch boxes?
As a professional manufacturer in the food packaging industry, we pay special attention to the quality of our products and the safety of consumers. Here are some suggestions for our customers to identify safe lunch boxes:
1. Look at the hardness and smell
High-quality disposable lunch boxes should be odourless and of moderate hardness. If the lunch box has a noticeable pungent odour, it may be made of poor quality plastic or contain harmful chemicals. In order to ensure food safety, all of our lunch boxes undergo strict quality testing to ensure that no harmful substances remain.
2. Avoid choosing low-priced products
The quality of low-priced 'three-nos' products without quality certification is difficult to guarantee, and may contain substances harmful to health. When choosing disposable food containers, we suggest that customers give priority to products with good reputation and complete quality certification. All of our products comply with national food safety standards and provide relevant quality certificates.
3. Look at the appearance
You should not choose lunch boxes that are too brightly coloured or too dark, which may be due to the use of waste plastic as raw material. A normal lunch box should have a smooth surface, even colour and no impurities. Our company insists on using brand-new raw materials to produce lunch boxes that not only look good, but also meet food safety standards.
4. Check the safety markings
Each plastic lunch box will be marked with its material type, such as No. 1 (PET), No. 5 (PP) and so on. According to the marking, we can judge its heat resistance and applicability. Our company produces PP material lunch boxes that can be safely heated up to 200°C, which meets the microwave heating requirements, and provides a clear marking PP5 for consumers to use correctly.
By understanding these details, consumers can use takeaway lunch boxes more safely and securely, and at the same time reduce the burden on the environment. As a company that focuses on quality and environmental protection, we will continue to be committed to providing consumers with safe, environmentally friendly and reliable lunch box products.