Potential Risks of the Usage of Plastic Packaging Materials in the Food Industries across Nordic Countries in Connection to Health and Lifestyle Practices of Consumers and Government's Efforts to Address this Sustainability issue : A Comprehensive study

• Main Authors: Malayil, Nidha Abbas, Ponnary Joy, Dhanya
• Format: Bachelor Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för hälsa och välfärd 2024
• Subjects: Plastic; Food Packaging; Effects; Nordic countries; Lifestyle; and Health; Social Sciences; Samhällsvetenskap; Iceland
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-53652

There is a growing demand for the adoption of sustainable products across differentindustries, including the food packaging sector, because non-biodegradable productshave been used for a long period which has impacted the health of consumers in theNordic region. This study aims at examining the effects of plastic food packaging onthe consumers’ health in five different countries namely Finland, Sweden, Denmark,Iceland, and Norway. Anarrative synthesis of seven qualitative and quantitative sourceswas performed out of a sample of 455 articlesthat were drawn from different academic.Seven articles met the inclusion conditions and the other articles were excluded due toissues on population and alignment with the research question. The findings reveal thatplastic food packaging has adverse health effects on the endocrine and metabolicprocesses because they contain chemicals such as Bisphenol A, Phthalates, BisphenolS, PBDEs, and TBBPA. This research will be useful to other students, scholars, andhealthcare professional interested in knowing more on health and lifestyles related toplastic food packaging. The study investigates the health effects of plastic food packaging in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway. A review of 455 academic articles, narrowed down to 7, reveals that chemicals like Bisphenol A, Phthalates, Bisphenol S, PBDEs, and TBBPA in plastic packaging disrupt endocrine and metabolic processes, posing health risks. The findings underscore the need for sustainable packaging solutions and the key words used are Plastic, Food Packaging, Effects, Nordic countries, Lifestyle, and Health