Expert: Carol Schlitt - 11/1/2006

Question
I am sensitive to plastics and am having to do things differently re storage and freezing of food.

Kindly tell me how safe aluminium foil is?

Thank you

Answer
Hi Sylvia,

Aluminum foil is a safe product for freezing and storing food when it is used appropriately.  By this I mean using it to wrap and store foods that are not acidic (tomatoes, fruits, and other acidic foods) or highly salted (pickles, sauerkraut, etc. The problem is acid and salt eats through the foil causing black spots on the food and small holes in the foil. This reaction is considered harmless but it's not attractive.

Aluminum foil has a very low moisture-vapor transfer rate -- even lower than plastics. For that reason, foil is preferred over plastic wrap for long-term food storage or freezing. Other good storage and freezing materials include glass, ceramic or paper containers. Be aware that many freezer papers are coated with plastic to make them more moisture/vapor resistance.

For information on the safety of using aluminum foil, please see the following website:
http://www.world-aluminium.org/news/montreal/lidsky.htm

I hope this has helped, Sylvia.  If I can be of further assistance, please let me know.

Carol C. Schlitt
Extension Educator, Nutrition and Wellness
University of Illinois Extension