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Ditch the Dyes Cheat Sheets

Dear SafeMama: Steambags Edition

By Kristie Turck •  Published 09/24/08 •  2 min read

Last updated on August 20th, 2022 at 12:33 am

Q: Do you all know if the plastic microwavable bags that frozen veggies come in are safe?

While technically, steamable bags are FDA approved and considered safe, I decided to give a call to Birds Eye to find out exactly what their SteamFresh bags are made of.   The representative told me that while they don’t contain BPA or PVC, they are a #7 plastic due to the fact that their Steamfresh bags are comprised of a mixture of plastics.  She didn’t have the information on exactly which plastics were used in making these bags, but she did say that it’s multiple resins laminated together and they’re NOT recyclable.  Awesome!  I totally want to microwave my food in that!

Listen, I know that we’re all busy and we live in a country where we thrive on convenience and instant gratification.  Most of us have jobs making it necessary to take shortcuts, but really, it only takes a few extra seconds to dump your frozen veggies into a Pyrex dish and throw it in the microwave.     Not to mention, cheaper.   Those Steamfresh bags are expensive!  Why not save yourself some extra money in these tough economic times?

We here at SafeMama have always recommended to microwave in glass or ceramic.  Never ever microwave in any kind of plastic, even if it’s listed as microwave safe.   All plastics have leaching capabilities on some level and it took how many years for people to realize that BPA wasn’t safe.  Who knows what they’ll find out about other plastics in the coming years.   It’s up to you to decide of the risk is worth it, but if you want our opinion, it’s not.

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