Jim:
I have a question about plastic buckets. I’ve heard that some of them put toxic chemical fumes into food, but others don’t. How can I be sure which ones are food grade? Thanks Much, – Wendy J. (Living too close to Mr. Schumer)
JWR Replies: As I explain in the “Rawles Gets You Ready” family preparedness course, determining whether or not a particular used bucket is truly food grade can be a challenge. I’ve had several readers and consulting clients who have mistakenly been told that the the number 2 (with the number 2 inside the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol) refers to Food Grade HDPE, but that is not true. Not all “2” marked plastics are food grade! Let me explain: The “food grade” designation is determined by plastic purity by and what mold release compound is used in the injection molding process–not by the plastic itself, since all virgin HDPE material is safe for food. For paint and other utility buckets, manufacturers sometimes use a less expensive (and toxic) mold release compound. For food grade they must use a more expensive formulation that is non-toxic. Unless the buckets that you bought are are actually marked “food grade”, (or, marked NSF, FDA, or USDA approved), then you will have to check with the manufacturer’s web site to see if they make all food grade buckets. For more details, see the information at this barbecue and brining web site. If in doubt, then mark the suspect buckets to strictly non-food item storage, such as for storing cleaning supplies or ammunition
JWR Replies: That information detailed in the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course. The same information can also be found in my book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”, and you can also find it in the SurvivalBlog archives.