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Assessing Knowledge and Use Practices of Plastic Food Packaging among Young Adults in South Africa: Concerns about Chemicals and Health

International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021-10, Vol.18 (20), p.10576 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License. ;2021 by the authors. 2021 ;ISSN: 1660-4601 ;ISSN: 1661-7827 ;EISSN: 1660-4601 ;DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182010576 ;PMID: 34682322

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  • Title:
    Assessing Knowledge and Use Practices of Plastic Food Packaging among Young Adults in South Africa: Concerns about Chemicals and Health
  • Author: Du Preez, Magdi ; Van der Merwe, Daleen ; Wyma, Louise ; Ellis, Susanna Maria
  • Subjects: Bisphenol A ; Chemicals ; Consumer protection ; Consumers ; Demography ; Environmental impact ; Food ; Food industry ; Food packaging ; Food packaging industry ; Food safety ; Health care ; Health problems ; Information sources ; Knowledge ; Labeling ; Landfill ; Manufacturers ; Packaging ; Plastics ; Plastics industry ; Public health ; Utilization ; Young adults
  • Is Part Of: International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021-10, Vol.18 (20), p.10576
  • Description: Chemicals associated with health problems can migrate from packaging into food matrices. Therefore, consumers need to be aware of health concerns associated with incorrectly used plastic food packaging. However, little is known about consumers’ knowledge and their plastics usage practices. This study assessed this knowledge and practices among young South African adult consumers. Our online survey of 293 participants focused on their objective (actual) and subjective (self-perceived) knowledge about plastic food packaging care and safety, their utilization practices, and their sources of information about safe use of plastics. Participants’ utilization practices showed broad misuse. Their subjective knowledge about the correct use of plastic packaging was in most respects contradicted by their limited objective knowledge. We found that plastic identification codes on packaging largely failed in their informative purpose; instead, participants mainly consulted informal information sources about plastics. The knowledge gaps, unsafe plastic use practices, and information source deficiencies identified here can help to guide future improvements. We call for consumer education, across all demographics, about plastic utilization practices and associated health concerns about plastic chemicals. We also highlight the need for the government, food and plastics industries to join forces in ensuring that consumers are informed about safe plastic packaging usage.
  • Publisher: Basel: MDPI AG
  • Language: English
  • Identifier: ISSN: 1660-4601
    ISSN: 1661-7827
    EISSN: 1660-4601
    DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182010576
    PMID: 34682322
  • Source: GFMER Free Medical Journals
    PubMed Central
    ProQuest Central
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