Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Plastic Wrap shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Plastic Wrap offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Plastic Wrap at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Plastic Wrap? Wrong! If the Plastic Wrap is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Plastic Wrap then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Plastic Wrap? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Plastic Wrap and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Plastic Wrap wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Plastic Wrap then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Plastic Wrap site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Plastic Wrap, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Plastic Wrap, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
plastic wrap in a box. The lid of the box has a serrated edge for cutting the film.
Plastic wrap is a thin plastic film typically used for sealing
food items in containers to keep them fresh. Plastic wrap, typically sold on rolls in boxes with a cutting edge, clings to many smooth surfaces and can thus remain tight over the opening of a container with no adhesive or other devices. Common plastic wrap is roughly 0.01 mm (0.0004 in) thick.
Plastic wrap is known as
cling-film in the
United Kingdom and
cling wrap in Australia. Commonly known brands of plastic wrap in the United States include
Saran wrap, Glad wrap and
Stretch-Tite. In
Australia and New Zealand,
Glad wrap is the leading brand, known well enough to make its manufacturer concerned about its name becoming a
genericized trademark.http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb226/is_200310/ai_hibm1G1110462360 In
Canada,
Saran wrap is the genericized trademark. In Hong Kong, a company named Fine Vantage Limited is the major private label LDPE plastic wrap manufacturer.
One of the more recent innovations is perforated plastic wrap.
History
As with many great discoveries, plastic wrap's history is built on a lab error. Plastic wrap was invented in 1953 by a scientist who was trying to make a hard plastic cover for his car, his experiment was completely unsuccessful but he then found the usefulness of plastic wrap which he happened to create instead. The original cling wrap material was saran (plastic), the commercial name for polyvinylidne chloride (PVdC). The material was given approval for direct dry food contact and for paperboard coating for contact with fatty and aqueous foods.
In Australia, the original cling wrap material was polyethylene with a "stickifier" in the form of edible gum. The product was introduced under the brand name "Glad" in 1966.
Characteristics
An ideal plastic wrap should meet the following user expectations. Some testing labs, such as SGS, can offer plastic wrap testing to certify it is suitable for food contact and has the right
tensile strength.
- Easy to pull out of the box and easily separated by the cutter.
- Cling well with glass, ceramics and stainless steel, but will not cling heavily to itself.
- Close to total Transparency (optics) with no haze, film wrinkles, tension marks, un-even thickness, or gel.
- High tensile strength and puncture resistant so that the film will not easily break apart. This is difficult to achieve, as plastic wrap is only 7 to 15 micrometres thick.
- Packaged in a food-grade recyclable plastic or paper box printed with soy ink. Historically, about 30% of imported food-related products are fined by the customs officer because of a failure to meet packaging requirements.
Materials used
Plastic wrap was first made from
Polyvinyl chloride, which remains the most common material, but non-PVC alternatives are now being sold because of concerns about the risk in transfer of
plasticizers from PVC into food. Indeed, it is problematic to achieve full polymerization of the material, which could contain remains of the
vinyl chloride monomer. For food
catering applications, PVC is the most common. For household use, LDPE is gaining market share because it is purportedly safer.
More and more countries over the world are concerned about the environmental impact of PVC, as the material is said to be toxic and harder to recycle. Nevertheless, PVC is still used because its stretching properties offer excellent food catering presentation on the shelf, and it clings well to more kinds of surfaces. Even so, some countries are starting to ban the use of PVC in toys for infants and food contact applications.
The original saran (plastic) Wrap is made of
polyvinylidene chloride (PVdC). In July, 2004 the name Saran Original was changed to Saran Premium and the formulation was changed to
low density polyethylene (LDPE). SC Johnson claimed that this change was a result of an initiative to look for more sustainable and environmentally acceptable plastic. The film in Saran Premium Wrap does not contain chlorine. However, LDPE does not possess the same barrier qualities to oxygen, aroma, and flavor molecules that vinylidene chloride copolymers do, making the new formulation a lower quality plastic wrap, as it is not as useful in protecting from spoilage or flavor loss.
The PVC-based films contain plasticizers, most often
bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA), but
phthalates (most often
dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and
bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)), in spite of being prohibited in most countries, also cause concern. The plasticizers were found to migrate to some foods, for example cheeses or fatty fish and meat. In the UK, polymerized plasticizers replaced DEHP in this application, largely eliminating the problem.http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/EDs-Plastic-Wraps-CU5jun98.htm
A common alternative to PVC is
low density polyethylene (LDPE), which is less clingy than PVC, but also does not contain traces of potentially toxic additives. Newer production processes are closing the clingy gap between PVC and LDPE. Linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) is sometimes added to the material, as it increases the clinginess and the tensile strength of the film.http://www.darrenbarefoot.com/archives/2005/10/cling-wrap-explained.html Brands like Glad Cling Wrap or Handi-Wrap are LDPE-based. Saran Premium Wrap, a newer version of Saran Wrap, is based on LDPE as well.
Glad Press'n Seal has its surface covered by shaped dimples, which hold the adhesive away from the surface. While being handled, the wrap is unsticky, but when pressure is applied the dimples are flattened and the adhesive pushed against the contacting surface, sticking them together.http://patimg1.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=06489022&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page Patent for Glad Press 'n' Seal The adhesive used is a special edible type similar to chewing gum.http://www.glad.com/faqs/plasticwrap.php
PVdC has better barrier properties than the more-permeable LDPE, making the foods wrapped in it less subject to
freezer burn. However, LDPE is substantially cheaper and easier to make.
Natural polymers of LDPE and PVdC are insufficiently clingy on their own, and they do not adhere to themselves. To achieve the desired clinginess, certain polymers with lower molecular weight have to be added; the most common two are polyisobutene (PIB), and [ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer. Their chains readily interact with each other and their lower molecular weight makes them more mobile within the host polymer matrix.http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/mar98/890527087.Ph.r.html
References
See also
External links
- Saran Wrap - The History of PVDC (from About.com)
- "Cling film - a revolution in the food industry", European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates
- [http://www.glad.com.au/aboutGlad/default.asp About "GLAD"
plastic wrap in a box. The lid of the box has a serrated edge for cutting the film.
Plastic wrap is a thin plastic film typically used for sealing food items in containers to keep them fresh. Plastic wrap, typically sold on rolls in boxes with a cutting edge, clings to many smooth surfaces and can thus remain tight over the opening of a container with no
adhesive or other devices. Common plastic wrap is roughly 0.01 mm (0.0004 in) thick.
Plastic wrap is known as
cling-film in the
United Kingdom and
cling wrap in Australia. Commonly known brands of plastic wrap in the United States include
Saran wrap, Glad wrap and
Stretch-Tite. In Australia and New Zealand,
Glad wrap is the leading brand, known well enough to make its manufacturer concerned about its name becoming a genericized trademark.http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb226/is_200310/ai_hibm1G1110462360 In Canada,
Saran wrap is the genericized trademark. In Hong Kong, a company named Fine Vantage Limited is the major private label LDPE plastic wrap manufacturer.
One of the more recent innovations is perforated plastic wrap.
History
As with many great discoveries, plastic wrap's history is built on a lab error. Plastic wrap was invented in 1953 by a scientist who was trying to make a hard plastic cover for his car, his experiment was completely unsuccessful but he then found the usefulness of plastic wrap which he happened to create instead. The original cling wrap material was
saran (plastic), the commercial name for polyvinylidne chloride (PVdC). The material was given approval for direct dry food contact and for paperboard coating for contact with fatty and aqueous foods.
In Australia, the original cling wrap material was polyethylene with a "stickifier" in the form of edible gum. The product was introduced under the brand name "Glad" in 1966.
Characteristics
An ideal plastic wrap should meet the following user expectations. Some testing labs, such as
SGS, can offer plastic wrap testing to certify it is suitable for food contact and has the right
tensile strength.
- Easy to pull out of the box and easily separated by the cutter.
- Cling well with glass, ceramics and stainless steel, but will not cling heavily to itself.
- Close to total Transparency (optics) with no haze, film wrinkles, tension marks, un-even thickness, or gel.
- High tensile strength and puncture resistant so that the film will not easily break apart. This is difficult to achieve, as plastic wrap is only 7 to 15 micrometres thick.
- Packaged in a food-grade recyclable plastic or paper box printed with soy ink. Historically, about 30% of imported food-related products are fined by the customs officer because of a failure to meet packaging requirements.
Materials used
Plastic wrap was first made from Polyvinyl chloride, which remains the most common material, but non-PVC alternatives are now being sold because of concerns about the risk in transfer of plasticizers from PVC into food. Indeed, it is problematic to achieve full
polymerization of the material, which could contain remains of the vinyl chloride monomer. For food
catering applications, PVC is the most common. For household use, LDPE is gaining market share because it is purportedly safer.
More and more countries over the world are concerned about the environmental impact of PVC, as the material is said to be toxic and harder to recycle. Nevertheless, PVC is still used because its stretching properties offer excellent food catering presentation on the shelf, and it clings well to more kinds of surfaces. Even so, some countries are starting to ban the use of PVC in toys for infants and food contact applications.
The original saran (plastic) Wrap is made of
polyvinylidene chloride (PVdC). In July, 2004 the name Saran Original was changed to Saran Premium and the formulation was changed to low density polyethylene (LDPE). SC Johnson claimed that this change was a result of an initiative to look for more sustainable and environmentally acceptable plastic. The film in Saran Premium Wrap does not contain chlorine. However, LDPE does not possess the same barrier qualities to oxygen, aroma, and flavor molecules that vinylidene chloride copolymers do, making the new formulation a lower quality plastic wrap, as it is not as useful in protecting from spoilage or flavor loss.
The PVC-based films contain
plasticizers, most often bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA), but phthalates (most often
dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)), in spite of being prohibited in most countries, also cause concern. The plasticizers were found to migrate to some foods, for example
cheeses or fatty fish and meat. In the UK, polymerized plasticizers replaced DEHP in this application, largely eliminating the problem.http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/EDs-Plastic-Wraps-CU5jun98.htm
A common alternative to PVC is
low density polyethylene (LDPE), which is less clingy than PVC, but also does not contain traces of potentially toxic additives. Newer production processes are closing the clingy gap between PVC and LDPE. Linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) is sometimes added to the material, as it increases the clinginess and the tensile strength of the film.http://www.darrenbarefoot.com/archives/2005/10/cling-wrap-explained.html Brands like Glad Cling Wrap or Handi-Wrap are LDPE-based. Saran Premium Wrap, a newer version of Saran Wrap, is based on LDPE as well.
Glad Press'n Seal has its surface covered by shaped dimples, which hold the adhesive away from the surface. While being handled, the wrap is unsticky, but when pressure is applied the dimples are flattened and the adhesive pushed against the contacting surface, sticking them together.http://patimg1.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=06489022&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page Patent for Glad Press 'n' Seal The adhesive used is a special edible type similar to chewing gum.http://www.glad.com/faqs/plasticwrap.php
PVdC has better barrier properties than the more-permeable LDPE, making the foods wrapped in it less subject to
freezer burn. However, LDPE is substantially cheaper and easier to make.
Natural polymers of LDPE and PVdC are insufficiently clingy on their own, and they do not adhere to themselves. To achieve the desired clinginess, certain polymers with lower molecular weight have to be added; the most common two are
polyisobutene (PIB), and [ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer. Their chains readily interact with each other and their lower molecular weight makes them more mobile within the host polymer matrix.http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/mar98/890527087.Ph.r.html
References
See also
External links
- Saran Wrap - The History of PVDC (from About.com)
- "Cling film - a revolution in the food industry", European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates
- [http://www.glad.com.au/aboutGlad/default.asp About "GLAD"
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