025: The Chemicals We Eat through Food Packaging with Maricel Maffini

Don’t you just enjoy the popping sound of popcorn as it sits inside the microwave, ready for your relaxing movie night?

But what might be scarier than your horror movie (if you're watching one), is knowing that there are chemicals from the packaging of your microwaveable popcorn transferred into your movie snack which you already ingested.

Today we are joined by Researcher, Maricel Maffini. She discusses with us a summary of her presentation from the UNWRAPPED about the chemicals in packaging that transfer to our food and the ways in which the chemicals come out of the packaging into your food.

In this Episode, We Discuss:

• A summary of Maricel Maffini’s presentation on the UNWRAPPED Conference
• Chemicals added to make the plastic more flexible
• Ways in which chemicals come out from the packaging
• Microwave safe vs Health safe
• Lipophilic plastics, PFAS, and PVCs
• Supporting companies that have a safety product policy

Get to know Maricel Maffini:

Dr. Maricel V. Maffini is an Independent Consultant. She holds a doctorate degree in Biological Sciences. She has more than 25 years of research experience in the fields of carcinogenesis, reproductive biology, and endocrine disruption.

For the past nine years, Dr. Maffini has conducted research and published on the U.S. food additive regulatory program, conflicts of interest and regulatory science. Her current work focuses on environmental health issues related to chemical safety with special emphasis on food chemicals, risk assessment, and science policy.

She has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, reviews, and book chapters. Before becoming a consultant, she was a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, a senior science officer at The Pew Charitable Trust, and a Research Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine.

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To know more about the Unwrapped conference you may check their website here.

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