this post was submitted on 11 May 2025
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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.

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.

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[–] itsgroundhogdayagain@lemmy.ml 92 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

Who would microwave a ziplock bag? Freezer, sure, but microwave?

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 57 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (5 children)

unfit for microwave and freezer use

I'm giving up at this point. I truly believe we're in the fuck you and everything you love timeline

Maybe i died two years ago and this is just purgatory. Would you guys tell me if i died two years ago?

[–] M1ch431@slrpnk.net 35 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I know it's tough. Apparently I was ahead of the curve of most people and hit where you are at over a decade ago — with everybody around me and online calling me paranoid for thinking corporations/et. al are making people sick through their greed and apathy.

Corporations surely have known this stuff is harmful for a long time – but all they care about is selling a viable, cheap, scalable product, and marketing it to the masses to achieve wild success.

It gets better, I promise. Glass is my personal answer to plastic.

Control what you can, don't spiral into hopelessness, and advocate for real regulation and higher standards for corporations — so they can't simply go to market with harmful or toxic products.

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Ah shit. Im in purgatory arnt i

[–] M1ch431@slrpnk.net 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Reality and your experience is what you make it. If you ever need a chat, I'm here.

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 3 points 2 weeks ago

Thanks man. I'm ok. Just joking around. Appreciate the kindness though!

[–] rowinxavier@lemmy.world 30 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

No, we still need your labour and the line must go up.

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Yea. Of course... Line. Must. Go. Up.
The line. Must.go.up. The line. Must. Go up. Up. Up. Up. Up.

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

And show some hustle out there, Sisyphus.

[–] PlantJam@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I can't decide if "you died two years ago and this is all purgatory" would be good or bad news at this point.

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 9 points 2 weeks ago

Shit. This means I'm still alive.

[–] flicker@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I would absolutely tell you if you were in purgatory.

And as I said to a friend who thought he was dead while tripping on acid, "If you were in purgatory, there is no way you'd think me up, because I'm way too delightful to be in someone else's purgatory."

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 3 points 2 weeks ago

You're a good friend

[–] itsgroundhogdayagain@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Or maybe you've been in purgatory since you were born?

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 4 points 2 weeks ago

That'd be a crazy childhood

[–] Trex202@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago

Pull it from the freezer and thaw it in the microwave

/s

[–] Chef_Boyargee@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Definitely not me heating up corn tortillas

[–] SausageWallet@lemm.ee 2 points 2 weeks ago

Wrap them in a damp paper towel instead when you microwave them.

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 weeks ago

Go to the frozen vegetables at your grocery store and tell me what all of the "steam fresh" bags are made of.

[–] swelter_spark@reddthat.com 2 points 2 weeks ago

Before I read this, I wasn't aware of any reason not too. If I put meat in a bag to freeze it, I'd put the entire bag in the microwave if I needed to thaw it quickly.

[–] almost1337@lemm.ee 74 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

At this point we need to force every plastic producing and utilizing company to pay into a national healthcare fund to pay for all of the cancers and other problems they have caused for people.

[–] madeinthebackseat@lemmy.world 22 points 2 weeks ago

...and stop producing more plastic.

[–] RebekahWSD@lemmy.world 49 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Ugghh I use them in the freezer constantly. Good to know.

[–] sfled@lemm.ee 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Me too. I never used them (or anything made from plastic) for cooking, but I do freeze stuff in them, dammit!

[–] flicker@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 2 weeks ago

Gah! Me, too!

I really wish we lived in a world where the people responsible for this would be destroyed!

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 30 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Now imagine my lack of shock when we find out sous vide leeches chemicals like a MF at some point. You can't cook food in plastic. It's a hill I'm willing to die on.

[–] BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

It depends on the plastic. “Plastic” is broad category of materials, not just one singular thing.

But in most cases where plastic would be used, there are far better options. For sous vide, for example, reusable silicone pouches work great with no risk of microplastics or dangerous chemicals like BPA.

[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Yeah, I don't care if the plastic bowl says microwave safe on it. I will not put anything that isn't sourced from rocks or plants in the microwave.

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

In the strictest possible sense, plastic is ultimately sourced from rocks...

[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Guess I shoulda said made of

[–] M1ch431@slrpnk.net 21 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

But I thought corporations and regulators always have our best interests in mind?

[–] Delphia@lemmy.world 19 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

"As the suit explains, microplastics are "small plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in diameter," a byproduct of larger plastic items breaking down."

I feel like they mean smaller than 5mm. 5mm is like a 1/4 of an inch round... thats not "micro" thats just plastics.

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[–] ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.zip 18 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I've been trying to convince people for years to just switch to jars. They last longer, glass doesn't poison your blood, you can store dinner leftovers in a jar and bring it to work for lunch really easily, they make good cups, you can ferment stuff, they're good for storing other things like maybe rubber bands or paper clips. I still use plastic bags sometimes for freezing bulk proteins (need to find a new solution for that I guess) but for nearly everything jars are just better

[–] UniversalBasicJustice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Excellent call on the jars! Would something like butcher paper work for freezing? Or is that plastic-y too...

Checks

Looks like it's just paper! Potential bleaches and waxes, but found rolls without fairly easily. My dad froze most of his venison in butcher paper and it always came out excellent.

[–] ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 weeks ago

Oh damn butcher paper is a great idea! I'll have to grab some then I think that'll cover all my food related plastic bags uses

[–] wellheh@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 2 weeks ago

I like jars but they're just nowhere near as space efficient. This is hell.

[–] besmtt@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

How well does heating up leftovers in jars work? Or do you take it out of the jar then heat it up? Thanks!

[–] ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 weeks ago

It depends on the food but I usually heat it up in the jar (without the metal lid of course). Dense thick stuff like refried beans can be tricky if you filled the jar to the top because it's hard to stir for even heating. For the most part just be conscious of the room you have to move stuff around and it's all good though. Obviously some stuff won't work well like pizza unless you wanted to roll it up like a taquito. I've done soups, rice, hot dogs, stir fry, corn, various pastas, curry, oatmeal, potatoes, you name it. Lots of things that don't microwave well normally are still just as okay in a jar such as steak bites, bread, fries, cream sauce, rangoons, or neatly stacked sliders

[–] bitwolf@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I really want to organize a plastic boycott.
Does anyone know how the Target / Amazon boycotts were distributed?

It seems those had a good turnout.

[–] Chadus_Maximus@lemm.ee 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Wait until you realize how much plastic is being used in manufacturing. You know that meme where a product gets shipped across the world 5 times before finally being assembled? About 4 layers of plastic are spun around the parts every time it happens.

[–] asymmetric@slrpnk.net 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Hey, do you have a source on this? Super interesting!

[–] janus2@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 weeks ago

I used to work in a cookie factory and we wrapped every single pallet in a fuck ton of plastic wrap, so at least in my experience the claim makes sense

[–] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 weeks ago

I avoid plastic where I can but its often impossible unless you want a severely limited diet. Most vegetables come in plastic packaging of some form. Rice and pasta too, although flour and oats come in paper so at least i could have sourdough bread and porridge with some jam from a glass jar.

[–] paraphrand@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Hell yeah, fuck them up.

There needs to be a reckoning here.

[–] ABetterTomorrow@lemm.ee 2 points 2 weeks ago
[–] ornery_chemist@mander.xyz 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Tips on containers that won't splode in the freezer with soups, sauces, etc?

[–] Strawberry@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 weeks ago

Stainless steel steam table pans. The stuff they use in professionial kitchens. They come in standard sizes, can be frozen, heated in the oven, stovetop, and some on induction cooktops. They are often used with stainless steel lids but they also make stretchy silicone lids that are good for freezing

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Who the hell microwaves ziplocs?

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