Evaluation of safety criteria for the total amount of volatiles in foam food containers in Ho Chi Minh City

Disposable plastic utensils such as plastic boxes and foam boxes are becoming more and more popular with significant output in Vietnam. These products are mainly made from polystyrene, which should be strictly controlled to reduce the risk of food insecurity, due to the leaching of certain substances into food. Therefore, conducting a study to determine the toxic substances remaining in the styrofoam box is necessary, with objective is to determine the percentage of foam food container products with total volatiles (through the determination of substances: styrene, ethylbenzene, toluene, n-propylbenzene) exceeding the allowable limit according to QCVN 12-1:2011/BYT. The study conducted on 138 samples of foam boxes randomly collected at 46 markets in 23 districts in Ho Chi Minh City, with analytical method being GC-MS technical method for the determination of volatile compounds from foam boxes. Results showed that all 138 foam samples had amount of each styrene, ethylbenzene below 1 mg/g, total styrene and ethylbenzene less than 1 mg/g, total volatiles (styrene, toluene, ethylbenzene, n-propylbenzene) are all below 5 mg/g. Conclusion: There should be stricter control regulations on the quality of disposable food containers and the use of foam boxes should be limited to reduce the impact on the environment.