Hey, so… Not sure if anyone told you, but you’re absolutely not supposed to eat those packing peanuts. Yeah, they’re not real peanuts. They’re actually made of styrofoam, which you don’t want to consume. At least, you shouldn’t want to consume them…
Anyway.
You might think this warning is unnecessary, but apparently, there’s this growing trend of eating different packing peanuts on TikTok—because where else would this be happening?
This habit seems to have originated from the brand Lush, a company that claims to use edible packing peanuts. Again, even these are not real peanuts, but rather vegetable starch-based alternatives, which still don’t necessarily equate to safe consumption.
Other brands are using biodegradable packing peanuts that are better for the environment, but still not recommended to eat.
While the non-styrofoam ones might not harm you, it doesn’t mean you should eat them. I mean, they’re just tossed freely into a package that’s been who-knows-where, sitting around for who-knows-how-long. Not to mention, health experts warn that even those deemed edible and “safe” for consumption can still have adverse health effects.
“Many vegetable oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which, when consumed excessively, contribute to an imbalance that promotes chronic inflammation,” Angelica McGough, DNP, MSN told Delish. “Inhaling cooking fumes and consuming heated oils has been linked to lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer.”
The nurse practitioner added that the ingredients in biodegradable packing peanuts (like cornstarch, potato starch, vegetable oil, wheat starch, and other plant-based materials) are heated to extremely high levels, often producing a known carcinogen called acrylamide.
Additionally, “biodegradable” is not synonymous with “edible,” and some brands might include ingredients you don’t want in your body.
Still, people are tempted to try them, with some people even seasoning them or dunking them in hot sauce.
Good rule of thumb? Just…don’t eat any packing material, please.
The post People Are Seasoning Packing Peanuts—and Eating Them appeared first on VICE.
