How is plastic on bread related with food poisoning? Here in France baguettes are wrapped in paper and are eaten within a day or two of being made (or else they get dry). if you keep them for long enough, molds will grow on it, then you see them and don't eat that old bread (even though it's unlikely to be too bad for most people, the taste is certainly not great). I'd be surprised if anyone ever got food poisoned with bread.
> I'd be surprised if anyone ever got food poisoned with bread.
I'm about to blow your mind. It was and is one of the most common food poisoning types, especially B. Cereus and everyone's favorite religion-creator, C. purpurea / ergot.
Gross image warning (not sure why it's the first thing on the page but...)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergotism
Right, I was really focusing on the bread itself, given the discussion was about the wrapping, rather than previous poisoning of ingredients (unless I'm mistaken, plastic wrapping would not help against ergotism). I'm sure people also get poisoned with chemicals they might put on the crops as well...
Bacillus Cereus is the major modern issue, and it largely comes from soggy bread/rice/pasta, so plastic is a significant factor.
I completely agree with you that we should, in general, phase out plastic as much as we can, but we have to be realistic about the benefits and drawbacks. I don't think it's anything that couldn't be replaced with oiled paper, but plastic is used for some good and bad reasons.
>Changes in agricultural practices and the introduction of disease-resistant crop varieties have largely eliminated ergotism in modern times
Correct, but B. Cereus is essentially the most common food poisoning bacteria, depending on what sources you look at.
Not strictly food poisoning, but my wife is extremely allergic to one of the types of seeds commonly put on bread. The plastic packaging virtually eliminates contamination between breads stored adjacent to each other. Since marrying her, I've stopped taking home bread in paper bags or bread lying in the open.