Amidst doubts, disposable foam plastic tableware, which had been banned for 14 years, was officially "unbanned" on May 1. How do the market and consumers react to the return of foam lunch boxes to the market? Reporters found in interviews yesterday that roadside fast food stalls have become the main battlefield for disposable foam lunch boxes, while the staple kitchens of major supermarkets have not used them, and most restaurants said they would continue to refuse to use them when interviewed. Since the "toxicity theory" of foam lunch boxes has been deeply rooted in people's minds, many citizens are worried about their safety and environmental protection, especially young people who have been educated since childhood that foam lunch boxes are unhygienic and not environmentally friendly, most of them said they "will never use them."

Visiting fast food stalls, where they are used the most, the stall owner quietly reminded "it's best not to use them"

At lunchtime yesterday, reporters visited some streets along and on both sides of Zhongshan Road.

In a residential area near Zhongshan Road, many storefronts have been changed into snack shops or snack stalls. In front of a snack stall, a disposable foam lunch box was placed on a fast food truck, and paper tableware was placed next to it. "This foam lunch box can be used now." Obviously, the stall owner knows that disposable foam tableware can return to the market after May 1st. "This paper one is a product from before, and the foam lunch box is a new product." The stall owner told reporters that a foam lunch box costs less than 10 cents, while a paper one costs more than 20 cents. One hundred lunch boxes can be used in one lunch, and in a month, using foam lunch boxes can save 200 to 300 yuan.

The reporter saw that most of the people who use disposable foam lunch boxes for meals are employees working in the office building next door, as well as middle school students in the surrounding schools. These middle school students are all wearing school uniforms, and they usually buy a set meal, one lunch box for rice, and one lunch box for vegetables.

The reporter said that he did not want to use disposable foam tableware, so the stall owner took out a paper lunch box and packed a meal for the reporter. "It is best not to use that kind of foam lunch box, the whiter the worse." The stall owner said this in a low voice, showing a very sincere attitude.

During the interview, the reporter found that fast food trucks on the roadside are the main battlefield for using disposable foam tableware. The foam lunch box contains a box of rice and a box of vegetables, and costs a few yuan per set. The reporter randomly interviewed several consumers who were eating. They said, "We use whatever they give us, and we can't choose." "We know that foam lunch boxes are unhygienic and unsafe, but we are very particular about eating at small stalls."

Wholesale market: Some stalls are selling, while some are still waiting

Yesterday, the reporter also visited the Nansan Tiao Wholesale Market. In the market, some wholesale stalls already have disposable plastic foam tableware on sale. The reporter took a look and found that most of the foam tableware did not have a factory address or factory name, and most of them were packed in huge white plastic bags. As for the price, the stall owner said that it ranged from 9 cents to 15 cents according to different models, which is half cheaper than polypropylene lunch boxes.

However, some wholesalers are waiting and watching. "For the time being, we will not purchase a large number of such foamed plastic tableware. Although the price will be much cheaper, we don't know whether the market will accept it. We are afraid that the goods will not be sold well after they are purchased. After all, people's attention to food safety has changed a lot compared with more than ten years ago. More formal restaurants and fast food restaurants still purchase more polypropylene lunch boxes." A wholesaler said.

Catering supermarkets: safety is difficult to guarantee, and they will definitely not be used at present

"We will definitely not use disposable foam lunch boxes." Li Jinfei, general manager of Yuxiang Spicy Granny, made it clear that all chain restaurants under Spicy Granny use degradable, environmentally friendly and non-toxic plastic boxes, and will not change in the future. The safety of foam lunch boxes is difficult to guarantee, and it is also difficult to accept ideologically.

The reporter interviewed a number of catering companies on two streets where restaurants are concentrated, Tiyu Street and Guang'an Street. The vast majority of companies said that they would rather spend more money than use disposable foamed plastic tableware to make customers worry about food safety. In a hotel on Tiyu Street, the food packaging boxes are also degradable, environmentally friendly and non-toxic plastic boxes, one yuan each. The person in charge of the restaurant told the reporter that the transparent and hard lunch boxes look cleaner and more sanitary, representing the taste and image of the restaurant. Although the use of disposable foam plastic tableware can greatly reduce the cost of take-out boxes, customers have become accustomed to using environmentally friendly non-toxic plastic boxes and do not want to change.

The staple food kitchens of major supermarkets are now becoming more and more popular with the surrounding citizens, especially at noon, attracting a large number of office workers and students to eat. Yesterday at noon, the reporter saw at the Xiantianxia store of Beiguo Supermarket that the lunch boxes used for the food cooked on site in its staple food kitchen were either paper or transparent plastic. This type of lunch box is colorless and odorless, and is made of the commonly used polypropylene resin material. Regarding disposable plastic foam lunch boxes, the relevant person in charge of Beiguo Supermarket said that the supermarket's staple food kitchen currently does not use disposable foam lunch boxes, and in line with the concept of safety and environmental protection, it does not plan to use them in the future.

Micro survey: 60% of respondents said they would not use it

In response to the lifting of the ban on disposable foam plastic tableware, the reporter conducted a micro survey. Among the 20 respondents, 18 expressed concerns about the lifting of the ban on disposable foam lunch boxes, and 2 said it didn't matter. Among the 18 respondents who expressed concerns, 12 said they would refuse to use foam lunch boxes, accounting for 60% of the total number of respondents. It seems that the citizens of the provincial capital are not very satisfied with the lifting of the ban on foam tableware.

Will the lifting of the ban on foam tableware mean the reappearance of "white pollution"? Who can guarantee the safety of the raw materials of foam lunch boxes? Most citizens have such concerns and raise many questions.

"To be honest, today's food safety is already worrying, and now we are using foam lunch boxes again, which were banned back then. When the disposable foam lunch boxes were banned, I was still young, and I was educated that they were "toxic" during my growth. Although the ban has been lifted, I think I will never use them in the future." Xiao Li said. "After so many years, everyone has become accustomed to using environmentally friendly lunch boxes. Once the ban is lifted, environmentally friendly lunch boxes may be eliminated again because of their high prices. This repetitive cycle makes people feel uneasy. When I eat out, some restaurants provide paid lunch boxes. Even if they charge, I am willing to do so because it is safe after all." said Mr. Wang, a citizen. However, some citizens also said that they knew that foam lunch boxes were not good, but what else could they do? When eating out, they can only make do.

Citizens questioned: Can the indiscriminate use of waste plastics as raw materials be controlled?

Mr. Liu: "I remember when the "ban on white" was in effect, the news media repeatedly reported that small workshops used recycled waste plastics, and even lunch boxes made from medical waste. Has this problem been solved now? Is this chaos under control now, and who can be responsible for its safety?"

: Adding fluorescent whitening agents, has it been eliminated now?

Ms. Zhou: "In addition to the difficulty in controlling the quality of raw materials, some companies also add industrial talcum powder, fluorescent brighteners, etc. in production. Are they under control now? Why did they lift the ban rashly without relevant management measures? Isn't it a joke?"

: Is there a temperature limit on the use? Is it marked on the lunch box?

Ms. Ma: "Isn't it said that disposable foam lunch boxes will release harmful substances when heated at high temperatures? But now fast food restaurants use foam lunch boxes to hold hot dishes. And there is no temperature limit on the lunch box. Do you use it in a muddle?"

Reporter's experiment

Microwave high heat for three minutes

The bottom of the box melted completely

Yesterday, the reporter bought a dish at a fast food stall on the street, and the other party used a disposable foam lunch box. From the outside, the lunch box is "blank", without any logo, and there is no explanation of the manufacturer and usage restrictions.

The reporter placed a disposable foam lunch box with a small portion of the dish in a microwave oven and heated it on high heat.

When heated for more than ten seconds, a strange sound came out of the microwave oven;

When heated for one minute, the disposable foam lunch box twisted and deformed, and bubbles appeared;

When heated for three minutes, the microwave oven was opened and the result was jaw-dropping: the disposable foam lunch box was completely unrecognizable and emitted a strange smell. The bottom of the lunch box that originally contained the dishes had melted completely, leaving a big hole; all the dishes in the lunch box leaked onto a plastic bag underneath.

Safety reminder: Do not use foam tableware at temperatures exceeding 80¡æ

When foam tableware returns to the market, consumers are most concerned about safety issues.

Specific to use, the relevant person in charge of the Hebei Food Industry Association reminded that the material of foam tableware is polystyrene, which is not heat-resistant. It will deform and release harmful low-molecular substances when it exceeds a certain temperature. Especially when it is used to hold oily foods or heated in a microwave oven, harmful substances will enter the human body along with the food. Therefore, foam tableware cannot be heated in a microwave oven or steamer, and cannot be used to hold stir-fried dishes, hot soups, and other foods. It is even more undesirable to use it to hold spicy hot pot, hot noodles, etc. like roadside stalls. Generally speaking, foam tableware is relatively safe to use below 80¡ãC. Precautions for use should be marked on disposable foam lunch boxes to guide consumers correctly. ¡±

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