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My interior design aesthetic is best described as a cacophony of color with a strong vintage bent. You could say I’m staging the scene for my Auntie Mame era. And while my skills in the art of cooking are a bit wanting, my taste in kitchen decor is fruity and delicious! Sitting on my countertop now are a Kitchenaid in gooseberry and SodaStream’s retro-looking carbonator in a bright orange-red. The palette isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but no one can yuck my yum. I also love finding vintage Pyrex in all their fun patterns. Pyrex’s lightweight, plastic kin Tupperware can also be found in snappy colors, but the experts at Daily Meal are reminding us of a potentially serious health risk to watch out for: Tupperware was made with bisphenol-A, commonly known as BPA, up until March 2010. BPA has been known to cause endocrine, neurological, fertility, and metabolic problems; it’s banned entirely in the European Union, but not yet in the US (surprise, surprise). So even though they’re pretty, vintage Tupperware is probably for display only.
Any type of Tupperware made before March 2010 should just be for decoration. Up until 2010, the containers were made with a chemical called BPA (bisphenol-A). The European Union banned BPAs in 2024, but it’s still used in the U.S., though with restrictions and government oversight. It’s in all kinds of polycarbonate plastics that many of us use every day like food storage containers, water bottles, and the linings of aluminum cans — and chronic exposure can cause a whole host of problems like endocrine disruption, neurological and fertility issues, and metabolic disruption. Plus, BPA has been linked to developmental delays in children and to an increased risk of developing cancer. BPA is just the beginning of the toxins that could be in your grandma’s vintage Tupperware, especially if you study the fascinating history of Tupperware and realize its roots in World War 2 military waste. Inside that beautiful plastic container could also be lead, arsenic, mercury, and calcium.
In the U.S., BPA usage is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Neither organization has flat-out said BPA is toxic for humans at the levels present in food containers, but experts have been doing toxicity tests and studies on health impacts of the chemical for decades. Results of those studies have led to regulation of BPA in products, as well as labeling, so you’ll know if your plastic is BPA-Free when you’re shopping for new food storage containers. Search for other signs of the presence of BPA in vintage BPA Tupperware, like a number printed on the bottom of the container.
If your vintage Tupperware was made before 2010, you don’t have to do any more investigating: it was definitely made with BPA. Discover the age of your Tupperware by inspecting mold numbers, logo and branding, color and design, and stamped codes that indicate the date it was made. Anything made after 2010 requires a second look to figure out if it was made with BPA. Inspect the canister for the number 3 or the number 7 printed on the bottom. Those numbers signify polycarbonate plastics and plastics made with PVC, and both generally contain BPA.
We’re coming up on the one year mark of Tupperware brands filing for bankruptcy. The company laid the blame on their joining online retail late in the game, after sticking with their signature house parties a little too long, and also due to younger generations returning to glassware as a more eco-friendly option. I noted at the time that everything old really is new again, since Tupperware had originally dethroned glass storage as the go-to in the 1950-60s. I guess they weren’t gonna also come out and say, “Plus, you know, for about 70 out of our 80 years in business we made our food storage products with BPA, a chemical that will contaminate your food.” And like the article says, you still have to check product numbers for anything made after 2010, as well. European bitches, I envy your government that actually works to protect its citizens! Whereas here in America, Secretary Brain Worm is plotting to end the FDA’s food safety inspections, so I have zero hope for its plastics inspections, and I believe our EPA is now officially the Economics Protection Agency. That’s my cue to go back to distracting myself with bright colors… Ooh, like Tupperware’s contemporary Heritage Collection that’s made to look vintage but is BPA free! Safe for the dishwasher but not the microwave, and available at Costco or Amazon. Now I just have to decide between the raspberry or teal sets.
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Photo on frontpage via eBay
I have some of the small and medium size rectangular blue containers with the white lids that are in the pics above because I claimed them when we were clearing out my grandmothers house. They’re as old as I am! To be fair one of the small ones is used to store the dishwasher tablets and the others don’t really get used so I think we’re safe.
I do have some modern tupperware as my friend in Canada was a rep so when they’d come to the UK to visit she always brought me some as a gift and/or I’d order some. I absolutely love them and use them all the time.
I was rather sad to hear the company filing for bankruptcy – I have fond memories of the parties my mum used to throw when I was a child. I remember the yellow ones with the brown flower on the front (I think I see them in these photos).
Those tubs were very hardwearing – better quality than some of the stuff that you get now but perhaps that was to do with the BPA.
Thank you for this! Now I have a solid argument for getting rid of my partner’s “heirloom” Tupperware which, by the way, smells like the farts of Hades if it’s stored closed.
Oh, I have 3 in a lovely shade of green with that lid you have to ‘burp’ to seal. Inherited from my mother. But I left them at my ex-husband’s. Because I took the 2024 Tupperware. Hehehe.
My mom used Tupperware and I think had a party or two back in the day. She got me my own little playset of Mini’s and I LOVED them! I had plates, cups, a tiny pitcher and little storage containers!
❤️ Auntie Mame ❤️