The pizza industry needs to rethink its packaging options amid claims that recycled pizza boxes contain harmful chemicals that can be transferred to the food inside, pizza franchise Pizza Capers has announced.

Pizza Capers is currently the only major pizza brand that lines its boxes with non-recycled cardboard after hearing evidence that recycled materials sometimes contain chemicals like toxic inks, glues and dyes which could be transferred to the pizza. Pizza Capers does, however, use recycled materials for all parts of the boxes that don’t come in contact with the pizza.

The presence of chemicals in recycled cardboard and its impact on hot food was studied by a team of scientists at the University of Milan, and it found diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) to be a possible contaminant in recycled cellulose used for take-away pizza boxes.

Research in Europe has found that chemicals can leach into the recycled cardboard during the recycling process, either from chemicals in the water or in the original paper. These chemicals can then contaminate hot food, like pizza, when it comes into contact with the recycled cardboard, said Scott Geiszler, co-founder of Pizza Capers.

He said that while many pizza companies use recycled cardboard to cut costs, Pizza Capers’ first priority is the quality and safety of its offering.

While we understand and support the community’s expectations to use recycled materials, Pizza Capers will continue to do whatever is necessary to ensure the highest standards of food quality, food safety and customer satisfaction.

Despite this, Pizza Capers has made efforts to reduce its environmental impact.

We take our environmental obligations very seriously and opt for recycled cardboard in non-food contact areas such as outer packaging, Geiszler said.

About two years ago, we also redesigned the shape of our pizza carton which has reduced our cardboard usage by 10 percent per pizza, about 36,000 kg per year. Over the next 12 months, that would be 80,000kg or even 100,000kg saved.