Using News paper to wrape sandwiches

[City Bound]

I know the old ink use to be toxic, but what about today's ink? All our papers here are printed with vegetable inks. DO you think the vegetable inks are safe to use with a sandwich?

I just wrapped a sandwich in newspaper for lunch tomorrow.

[rharper]

When I was in the business, it was all soy-based inks, and all non-toxic.

I'd use it ... so long as it didn't get tossed into a puddle of oil in the driveway on delivery.

[CurtisWilliams]

Originally Posted by City Bound

I know the old ink use to be toxic, but what about today's ink? All our papers here are printed with vegetable inks. DO you think the vegetable inks are safe to use with a sandwich?

I just wrapped a sandwich in newspaper for lunch tomorrow.

I ran a printing press for years. To save time, I would eat my lunch while working. If eating my sandwich with ink covered hands didn't kill me, I do not think that wrapping your lunch with a newspaper would cause any harm. Especially if you let the newspaper ink dry for a few extra days.

[City Bound]

Great info. Thank you.

[Oldcountryboy]

Don't know about sandwich's but my mom use to wrap apples and stick them under our beds for storage.

[City Bound]

Did the newspaper keep the apples fresh longer?

[Helena]

I save the plastic bags from the cereal boxes and use them for sandwich wraps...I don't know about the newspapers..

[Yvonne's hubby]

I had a friend that refused to start a fire in his stove with newspaper..... claimed the fumes from the ink was toxic. We buried him 25 years ago... something about some organic mushrooms. life is a risky business at best. Me? I buy 100 sandwich bags for a buck at the dollar store. Seems cheap enough to me. I am not so concerned about contamination as I am leakage... mustard is a bugger to get out of upholstery as well as clothing.

[City Bound]

Helena, save the bag from the bread when you are done it makes a good wrap for a sandwich also.

[geo in mi]

Fish & Chips have been nestled in newspaper in Britain for years and years. Only thing I would think bad would be reading today's bad news every day. Could turn your stomach....

geo

[mnn2501]

They still have newspapers?

[CountryWannabe]

AFAIK - they are no longer allowed to wrap in newspaper. That said, I have fond memories of visits to the chippie when I was young. The newspaper gave a subtle addition to the aroma of the fish & chips. I bet it isn't the same with the triple-sterilized, double bleached, sanitary white wrap they undoubtedly have nowadays.

Mary

[Kaitlin]

They go onto some greaseproof paper first but the outer wrap is still newspaper.

[Harry Chickpea]

I had been meaning to check this out, and the thread got me to doing some searching. The base of printing inks isn't anything to worry about anymore, and carbon black is ubiquitous and not an issue. What mildly concerns me are the colors.

The three main color pigments:

http://www.first-color.com/Materials/MSDS/B-G/1530.pdf

http://www.aarbor.com/PDF/1405W-MSDS.aspx

http://www.aarbor.com/yellow_83_pigm..._pigments.aspx

I note that each of the MSDS sheets have no red flag warnings, but I am a little troubled by the "not available" responses on some of the health effects questions. To me, that indicates that there has not been enough testing to clear the material, or that the results of any tests done were not reported. I can think of a lot of reasons for companies to do this.

Considering the multitude of other substances we come in contact with on a daily basis, I would rate the danger extremely low. The unanswered questions would only make me consider keeping it clear of infants, who don't yet have a developed immune system, but I can't imagine wrapping a sandwich for an infant, and it would be erring on the extreme side of caution.

[Oldcountryboy]

Originally Posted by City Bound

Did the newspaper keep the apples fresh longer?

I'm not sure but I think it was so that if you had one bad apple it wouldn't effect the rest of the batch. Causing them to rot also. But they would bring them out to eat on during Christmas. Can't remember how much longer they lasted after that.

[Helena]

You also can buy organic..green..lunch wrappers.

[sammyd]

Newsprint makes a fine wrapper but a lousy napkin as a shipmate of mine discovered one night after his chicken and chips....

[ronbre]

if you are strapped for $ try to think creatively also..if you use any products that come in containers like zipper bags or that are lined with a plastic bag (similar to the types that cereal boxes come with, etc..save those and rinse them out and hang them upside down to dry and you can use them..even shredded cheese comes in a ziploc type bag any more if you buy it..they certainly can be reused to wrap a sandwich or store a leftover a few times before they are tossed

[Danaus29]

Thousands of people who worked and still work in the industry and inhaled the ink dust are still alive so I seriously doubt the little bit of print that would get on your food would be a huge concern. And the paper itself is probably no dirtier than other food wraps.

[backtocolo]

I would be checking those plastic bags to see if they are made in china. I try real hard to keep chinese made itrms away from my food.