Food can’t be exposed to the elements everywhere, so we take our food with us in the food transport carriers provided.  College food service operations, restaurants and delis are all looking for healthy and convenient ways for us to take our food with us.

But is that throw-a-way container good for our environment? 

The major types of containers are Styrofoam, plastic container, cardboard, paper or plastic bag, recycled paper, bring your own container, products made from edible or non-edible food, aluminum foil and bio-products. 

As a food transport carrier, Styrofoam is probably the worst for the environment. It poses health risks of styrene and isn’t biodegradable. Plastic is made from petroleum. Health risks have been found when the chemicals migrate into your food from the plastic. Paper and plastic bags is another unfriendly product to the environmental. Paper and plastic bags are used as food transport carriers everywhere from the grocery store to the take out lunch counter. 

Cardboard boxes are another poor food transport carrier. The recycled cardboard that has food residue is added to compost but can still contain chlorine or bleach. These chemicals end up in our landfills. Uncontaminated cardboard can be recycled or composted.  Other products like bioproducts and aluminum foil need special facilities and conditions to produce and recycle. 

Using recycled paper products made from 100 percent recycled materials is a good option for using as food transport carriers. Another option is the edible food containers made from food like your bread bowl. And non-edible containers made from food like banana leaves or corn husks are can be composted. Maybe the best option is to bring your own. Canvas bags can be used in the grocer or at a farmers market while mason jars or coffee mugs can be used for to transport your beverage. So when you need to take your food with you, look for food transport carriers that are good for our environment.