Food Safety Focus (53rd Issue, December 2010) – Food Incident Highlight

Safe use of PET disposable Bottles

The Centre for Food Safety recently issued a Risk-in-brief on reusing disposable water and beverage bottles made of PET (or PETE, stands for polyethylene terephthalate plastic) providing advice on their proper usage.

PET plastics can be safely used as food contact material. However, misuse of PET bottles can result in release of greater amount of chemical substances. They may also deform when contact temperature reaches 70oC. Consumers should not reuse the bottles if there are cracks or other damages to the interiors, should not use the bottle for hot drinks, and not for substances significantly different from what the bottles are intended for. For instance, a bottle initially made for containing drinking water should not be used for vinegar or oil.

Like all other food containers or utensils, it is crucial to maintain the cleanliness of such bottles and make sure they are adequately dried before reuse. Drinking directly from the mouth of the bottle may impart microbes to the bottles and is not recommended if prolonged use is required.

Proper use of recyclable PET bottles to ensure safety