Abstract
Newspaper ink used in food packaging that is commonly used in informal food markets has hypothetical dangers to the well-being of people yet is not controlled. The researcher in this study targets to investigate the migration and microbiological pollution of newspaper-wrapped food. The laboratory tests were conducted to ascertain the migration of the heavy metals (lead, cadmium, chromium), aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the newspaper ink to a high-fat food model and also to establish microbial contamination of the newspaper and food products. Results showed that even though the chemical migration was within the regulatory safe limit, VOC particularly toluene showed a steady migration. In addition, food that was covered with the newspaper carried significantly higher loads of microbes, including pathogenic bacteria (E. coli and Salmonella), than food covered with plastic. The findings show that newspaper ink in food wrappings is a two-fold risk: chemical and microbiological and dictates the necessity to implement stricter regulations, safer alternatives, and to educate the population in order to minimize the risks in particular the informal food markets.