General Information
Fast Facts
Did You Know
A Look Inside
What keeps your hands cool and your coffee hot?
What helps keep food fresher longer?
What is lightweight yet strong?
Overview
Polystyrene is found in your home, office, local grocery and in the cafeteria. It comes in many shapes and forms, from foam egg cartons and meat trays, to soup bowls and salad boxes, from coffee cups and utensils to CD "jewel boxes," and from produce trays to "peanuts" used in packing and the lightweight foam pieces that cushion new appliances and electronics.
Polystyrene Gets the Job Done!
- It guards against leaking and keeps its shape when holding your take-out meal.
- It keeps hot food hot and cold food cold, while you hold the package in comfort.
- It cradles your fruit, vegetables, eggs and meat to keep them fresh and intact.
- It is an excellent low-cost and sanitary choice for food service packaging.
- It protects valuable shipments without adding significant weight.
Nothing else offers the combination of strength, lightness and durability to protect valuable objects from crystal to computers, from morning coffee to salad at lunch, from your children to you!
Sanitary
Tests have shown that disposable food service ware (such as polystyrene cups, plates and utensils) is more sanitary than reusable service ware. (1) Health officials, who regulate food service operations in schools, hospitals and restaurants, recognize this important product benefit. In fact, national environmental health officials passed a resolution stating that restricting the use of disposable cups, plates and containers would have a potentially adverse impact on disease prevention. (2)
Sturdy
Polystyrene protects against moisture and maintains its strength and shape even after long periods of time. Containers and lids close tightly, guarding against leaks while maintaining an ideal temperature. Additionally, polystyrene foam egg cartons and meat trays perform extremely well in automated processing equipment.
Polystyrene packaging offers exceptional protection. Its shape can be molded (custom fit) to parts and products, maximizing its excellent cushioning characteristics.
Efficient
Only about five percent of a foam package is polystyrene, the rest is air! Polystyrene provides the superior insulating quality that helps hold food at the optimal eating or drinking temperature longer than many alternatives. This helps to guard against waste. Polystyrene maintains hot food at temperatures required by many health departments, yet remains comfortable to hold.
Economical
Polystyrene food service products are generally more economical to use than disposable paperboard products and reusable food service items. The wholesale price of polystyrene disposable food service products is often approximately two to three times less than an equivalent disposable paper container, and four to five times less than a comparable reusable food service item when the costs of equipment, labor, water, electricity, and detergent costs are included. This allows schools, hospitals and other institutions to make better use of their limited budgets. Its light weight helps reduce shipping costs. Its cushioning ability reduces breakage, resulting in fewer damaged goods.
Convenient
Today's busy lifestyles require the convenience of affordable and quick take-out meals. Polystyrene packaging meets the demands of today's modern lifestyles by offering an economical and high quality food service product.
(1) "Disposables versus Reusables: A Study of Comparative Sanitary Quality," Dairy Food and Sanitation, Jan, 1985; "Utensil Sanitation: A Microbiological Study of Disposables and Reusables," Charles W. Felix, et al, Sept./Oct. 1990.
(2) "Single Service and Solid Waste" Resolution, National Environmental Health Assn. Board of Directors, June 1991.
