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 91 points 2 months ago (5 children)

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

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 58 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months 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 36 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months 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 months ago (1 children)

Ah shit. Im in purgatory arnt i

[–] M1ch431@slrpnk.net 6 points 2 months 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 months ago

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

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

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

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 9 points 2 months 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 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

And show some hustle out there, Sisyphus.

[–] PlantJam@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months 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 months ago

Shit. This means I'm still alive.

[–] flicker@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 2 months 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 months ago

You're a good friend

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

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

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

That'd be a crazy childhood

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

Pull it from the freezer and thaw it in the microwave

/s

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

Definitely not me heating up corn tortillas

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

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

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 2 months 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 months 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 75 points 2 months 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 23 points 2 months ago

...and stop producing more plastic.

[–] RebekahWSD@lemmy.world 50 points 2 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] sfled@lemm.ee 10 points 2 months 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 months 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 months 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 months ago* (last edited 2 months 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 months ago* (last edited 2 months 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 months ago (1 children)

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

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

Guess I shoulda said made of

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

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

[–] Delphia@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago (1 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.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

I feel like they mean smaller than 5mm.

I believe you meant "nm", as in "nanometre".

Just a typo, I can't see from context.

Slightly ironic tho

edit ironically my phone autocorrected "can" into "can't" , making this comment about me hinting at irony, ironic on another level

[–] Delphia@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

No, thats a direct quote from the article. I know they meant nm.

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

Oh, well then the mistake is in the article, my bad. I thought you were saying "they meant to write 'nm'", but you're saying "they meant particles way smaller than 5 millimeters in diameter".

Those particles are measured on the nm scale, so it's just a typo from the article more likely. Or like a journalist who doesn't understand scales and units.

[–] ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.zip 18 points 2 months ago (4 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 months ago* (last edited 2 months 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 months 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 months ago

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

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[–] bitwolf@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 months 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 6 points 2 months 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 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] janus2@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 months 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 months 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 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Hell yeah, fuck them up.

There needs to be a reckoning here.

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

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

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

Who the hell microwaves ziplocs?

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