The maker of Ziploc bags has been hit with a class-action lawsuit after a consumer alleged that two of the brand’s primary selling points — that the bags are “suitable” or “safe” to use in the freezer and microwave — were misleading and placed people at elevated risk of exposure to microplastics.
What’s happening?
According to About Lawsuits, complainant Linda Cheslow filed suit against Ziploc maker S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. in California on April 25. As a class-action lawsuit, the filing also names “all others similarly situated” — i.e., people who use Ziploc bags — as co-plaintiffs.
Ziploc bags already have at least one environment-related strike against them, as they are typically a single-use plastic item. On top of that, the lawsuit maintains that the brand’s parent company engaged in a “material omission” when labeling Ziploc bags “microwave safe” and “suitable for freezer use.”
The suit contends that “in reality,” Ziploc bags and containers are made with polyethylene and polypropylene — two manufacturing materials, the filing indicates, that “scientific and medical evidence shows release microplastics when microwaved and frozen.”
As such, Ziploc bags are alleged to be “fundamentally unfit for microwave and freezer use” despite their labeling, which has been “leading consumers to believe they are fit to be microwaved and frozen without risk of microplastics leaching into their food.” Consumers may have “unwittingly exposed themselves and their families to undisclosed microplastics during routine kitchen practices,” per the filing.
Why are microplastics such a big deal?
As the suit explains, microplastics are “small plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in diameter,” a byproduct of larger plastic items breaking down.
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Research into the impact of microplastics on human health is ongoing, but they’ve been linked to cognitive and behavioral issues, reproductive complications, and cancer.
As the Ziploc lawsuit asserts, even consumers doing their best to avoid exposure to microplastics can be lulled into a “false sense of security” by purportedly misleading labels.
What’s being done about microplastics?
While researchers readily admit we don’t fully understand the scope of the risks microplastics pose, one urged consumers and lawmakers “to act before we have all the answers.”
When it comes to food storage, a particularly direct source of exposure to microplastics, a home chef had a brilliant solution that removes plastic from the equation, keeps containers out of landfills, and is stunningly economical: washing and reusing glass jar packaging.
Using less plastic overall is one of the best ways to limit your exposure to microplastics and save money on single-use goods while keeping plastic out of landfills.
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