SC - Food Grade

[Christine A Seelye-King]

Christine A Seelye-King wrote:
> 
>         I have a question for the oh-so-knowlegable assemblage.  I am trying to
> define the term "Food Grade".  I wouldn't think it was so hard, but so
> far, I'm having no luck.  We have discussed the regulations about how
> many bug parts per million and the GRAS list, but I can't seem to narrow
> in on what Food Grade means.
>         Any help would be appreciated.
>         Christianna

The most common usage I've heard for the term "food grade" seems to
refer to plastics that are heat resistant and less porous than some
others, which aren't food grade. Another issue is residual solvents used
in manufacture of the plastic, not to mention dyes and deodorizers that
sometimes make their way into things like plastic garbage cans, and to
which some people are violently allergic (Hi, Phlip! ;  )  ) .

Things like tupperware tend to be food grade, while the plastic garbage
can, lined with a black plastic trash can liner, filled with
unrefrigerated beef stock, once witnessed at one of the most flagrantly
dangerous feasts of our mythical SCAdian forebears, was not.

One fairly good source (i.e. free or nearly so) for food-grade plastic
containers is the five-gallon plastic tubs used for shipping things like
cole slaw and potato salad to the less enterprising delis. I have a
local barbecued chicken place that gets soy sauce shipped to them in
such buckets, and they always have a big stack of them to give away.

As for specifics like whether polystyrene, polypropylene, or
polyethylene are best, I couldn't say just now. Maybe a perusal of the
tupperware website might help. (I'm just guessing there is such a
thing.) Sorry I couldn't be more help.
  
Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================