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For two years, Aisha Namatovu, a resident of Matugga, in Wakiso district has been cooking using polythene bags (kaveera) to steam her food.

Namatovu says she covers her food with a polythene bag to keep it warm. 

She explains that she resorted to using polythene bags because banana leaves are expensive and hard to maintain as they wear out fast.

With the polythene bag, Namatovu says she washes and hangs it out to dry before re-using it.

The act of cooking using polythene bags is becoming more common and ‘convenient’ than the traditional way of wrapping food in banana leaves, especially among the urban dwellers who have to part with a few shillings to buy banana leaves.

Dr Hassan Mayanja, a physician, notes that some people are opting to cover their food with polythene bags because they are readily available and retain more heat than banana leaves.

“Banana leaves have become scarce and expensive, especially during the dry season. But polythene bags are readily available and they are sometimes given free of charge in shops and supermarkets. More so, some people find it cumbersome to use banana leaves for cooking”, says Mayanja.

However, experts warn against covering food with polythene bags, saying they may cause poisoning.

Dr Harriet Kaguma in Wakiso, says when food comes in contact with polythene material when being prepared or when its hot, there are chances of transfer of dangerous chemicals into the food.  

“If you heat plastic material, dangerous chemicals, such as phthalate, dioctyl adipate and acetyl tributyi citrate that are added to plastic to make it less brittle and flexible, could be released into the food”, notes Kaguma.

Risks

Kaguma warns that some of these chemicals in polythene could disrupt growth, especially in children.

“The body needs a certain amount of oestrogen (a hormone responsible for sexual and reproductive development). However, plastic bags contain bisophenol, a weak synthetic chemical that has the same characteristics as oestrogen.

“Therefore, polythene contains an oestrogen-like chemical that makes them hormone disruptors. They hinder the functioning of oestrogen and other hormones in the body, by blocking the effects of the other hormones or mimicking them. This causes hormonal imbalance.

“It can also lead to permanent brain damage and slow growth of body parts, especially among children,” explains Kaguma.

He adds that in extreme cases, preparing food in polythene bags can quicken one’s death.

“Too much exposure to eating food prepared in polythene bags increases chances of transmission of the chemicals contained in plastic bags, which cause autoimmunity.

These chemicals can overpower the immune system leading to diseases and thus death.” Kaguma explains.

He also warns that even those with warm food wrapped in polythene bags in ovens or buy hot food packed in polythene bags face similar risks.