Is It Still Safe To Use Plastic Wrap?

A food scientist, a foodborne illness attorney and other experts weigh in.

As a millennial kid growing up before eco-friendly-everything was commonly available and sought-after, I remember a big roll of Saran wrap always hanging out in the kitchen cabinet. Leftovers of all kinds, from raw steaks to casseroles to pudding to brownies, were stored in their cooking or serving vessels, but with a tight layer of plastic wrap stretched over the top. That just seemed like the obvious way to protect food from oxygen, insects or weird fridge odors.

But as I’ve grown up and started to pay more attention to my plastic usage, I now wonder whether my mom’s supposed failsafe method really keeps cooked dishes and raw ingredients fresh.

I turned to a food scientist, an attorney who specializes in foodborne illnesses, and a number of academic sources to dig into these questions, and here’s what I learned.

Plastic wrap is an effective storage solution because it protects food from air and particle exposure.

Simply put, plastic wrap — which is usually made of food-safe low-density polyethylene, or LDPE — “is actually quite effective because it’s able to produce a very stable and tight seal at the edges of a container,” said Bryan Quoc Le, founder and principal food Consultant at Mendocino Food Consulting.