KOMPAS.com – Using newsprint to wrap food is still a common practice, especially among street vendors. The main reason is its low price and easy availability.
In fact, many people at home also use newspapers to absorb excess oil from fried foods.
However, did you know that this practice can increase the risk of cancer and other serious health problems?
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Newsprint contains special inks that contain dangerous chemicals. Not only does it affect food quality but it can also cause health problems.
Some of them are digestive disorders, poisoning, cancer, damage to vital organs, and weakening the immune system.
This condition is caused by contamination from chemicals in printing ink which absorb into food.
In fact, the Chhattisgarh state government in India has appealed to traders and consumers to no longer use newspapers as food wrappers.
Department of medicine and food or Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Chhattisgarh recommends that the public report traders who continue to use newsprint as food packaging.
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This is not the first time a warning like this has been issued. In 2019, authorities in Chennai banned the use of newspapers as containers for storing, distributing and selling food.
Previously, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had also warned that printing ink in newspapers contained cancer-causing agents which pose a health risk.
Foods that are not recommended to be consumed together with coffee.According to FSSAI, food contaminated by newspaper printing ink poses a serious health concern as it contains active ingredients known to be harmful.
In addition to toxic chemicals, printing inks also contain dangerous colors, pigments, binders and preservatives. Furthermore, used newspapers can also contain pathogenic microorganisms that pose a risk to human health.
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The FSSAI also states that recycled newspapers and paper may contain heavy metals, mineral oils and chemicals like phthalates that can cause digestive problems and severe poisoning.
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