Why Do We Use Heavy Duty Cling Wrap
Heavy duty cling wrap has been around for decades, but why is it so popular? Also known as plastic wrap, this humble sliver of plastic has been protecting our food and sometimes even non-food products for as long as anyone can remember.
Actually, the plastic wrap was first discovered back in 1933. A lab worker named Ralph Wiley made the discovery while working with Dow Chemicals. He was having some trouble washing beakers in his laboratory that he used to develop a formula for some household cleaning products. He found the residue that eventually became plastic wrap, although it was first developed into a spray that coated the canopies of fighter jets. Later in 1949, Dow Chemicals developed the product into the plastic wrap that we know today.
Plastic food wraps are manufactured to extremely high standards and go through a battery of tests to ensure they are safe for food use. Some of the tests include a gas permeability test, tear resistance test, and impact resistance test.
Why Cover your Food with Plastic Wrap
Firstly, plastic food wrap prolongs the life of food by keeping food airtight. This flexible layer of plastic keeps food feeling fresh because bacteria require oxygen and moisture to thrive, and putting a layer of plastic over your food starves the bacteria of both and in turn, prevents spoilage from occurring. Though it won’t prevent spoilage forever, the air-tight plastic does slow down the process considerably.
Is Plastic Wrap Safe
Heavy duty cling wrap that is food grade is usually made from Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and Polyethylene (PE). These two plastic types make the plastic wrap microwave-safe as well. Using microwave-safe plastic wrap means you can heat your food with the common household appliance without having to worry about the plastic melting onto your food, making it toxic. Always make sure that the plastic wrap you are using is microwave-safe before heating your food with it.
How to Use Plastic Wrap
Plastic wrap is now an indispensable part of the food industry as it provides an easy-to-use barrier against foreign contaminants in food. Most importantly, in the catering industry, plastic food wrap is used regularly as it keeps freshly prepared food safe and warm and prevents the food from being contaminated by its environment, especially in the post-COVID era, where a droplet of saliva can infect another person with the virus.
Another usage of plastic food wrap comes in food preparation. Catered food is often prepared way in advance of the event and sometimes is made in elaborate presentations. After the food preparation is done, the kitchen staff would usually cover it with a layer of plastic to prevent any shifting of the carefully presented food from being damaged during transportation.
MMP Corporation produces a variety food grade plastic cling wrap using advanced Japanese technology from Riken Vinyl Industry Co. Ltd and is manufactured to the highest standards required by the Japanese food wrapping and cling film manufacturer, M Wrap. Contact us today for our industry-leading food packaging products!
