A foam food container is a form of disposable food packaging for various foods and beverages, such as processed

instant noodles Instant noodles, or instant ramen, is a type of food consisting of noodles sold in a precooked and dried block with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash frying cooked noodles, and this is ...

, raw meat from supermarkets, ice cream from ice cream parlors, cooked food from delicatessens or food stalls, or beverages like "coffee to go". They are also commonly used to serve takeout food from restaurants, and are also available by request for diners who wish to take home the remainder of their meal. The foam is a good thermal insulator, making the container easy to carry as well as keeping the food at the temperature it had when filled into the container, whether hot or cold.

Construction and composition

Foam take-out containers are made from expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, or another type of

polystyrene Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It is a ...

foam, and produced by injecting the foam into a mold. They are usually white in color, although they may be printed or impressed with a company logo or other message. EPS foam is sometimes incorrectly called Styrofoam as a generic term. Styrofoam is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company for closed-cell

extruded polystyrene Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It i ...

(XPS) foam, used for thermal insulation and craft applications. By contrast, EPS foam is typically white and made of expanded polystyrene beads, and used for disposable coffee cups, coolers, or as cushioning material in packaging. Another trade name for EPS is thermacol, originated by BASF.

Varieties

The different varieties of foam takeout containers may include: * A rectangular shaped

clamshell Clamshell may denote anything resembling the bivalve shell of a clam: * Scoop stretcher, another name for this patient transport device * Clamshell design, a form factor used for electronic devices, also known as a "flip" or "flip phone". * Cla ...

style container with an attached lid, which comes in various sizes. The larger ones usually feature several compartments, allowing different foods to be kept separated from each other. This variety usually features several small projections on the lid of the container, which fit through slots on the bottom half to "lock" it, therefore keeping the cover closed. These containers are leak-resistant only if kept upright, and often have a square imprint area for labeling. * A cylindrical style container with a separate, translucent or opaque plastic lid which can seal tightly to resist leaks. The container may or may not taper somewhat towards the bottom. Both overall size and the ratio of height to diameter can vary greatly. Such containers usually hold soups and stews; however, smaller varieties are often used to hold sauces and condiments.

Chinese cuisine

Foam containers are the most commonly used takeout box for Chinese cuisines in

East and Southeast Asia The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ...

. It is standard for

Cantonese cuisine Cantonese or Guangdong cuisine, also known as Yue cuisine ( or ) is the cuisine of Guangdong province of China, particularly the provincial capital Guangzhou, and the surrounding regions in the Pearl River Delta including Hong Kong and Maca ...

in Hong Kong and many parts of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and sometimes used overseas in various restaurants, particularly in the United States and Canada.

Environmental issues

Foam takeout containers entirely made out of polystyrene foam affect the environment as they do not biodegrade easily. However, microbial degradation of styrene via

methanogen Methanogens are microorganisms that produce methane as a metabolic byproduct in hypoxic conditions. They are prokaryotic and belong to the domain Archaea. All known methanogens are members of the archaeal phylum Euryarchaeota. Methanogens are com ...

s has been investigated and confirmed, intermediate products being various organic substances and carbon dioxide. '' Pseudomonas putida'' can also convert styrene oil into various

biodegradable Biodegradation is the breakdown of organic matter by microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi. It is generally assumed to be a natural process, which differentiates it from composting. Composting is a human-driven process in which biodegradati ...

polyhydroxyalkanoates. Some cities have banned the use of foam take-out containers, notably San Francisco, Seattle and Portland, Oregon. In 2013, the mayor of New York City proposed banning foam food containers for both health and environmental reasons. Implementation of this plan was put on hold while the ban was litigated by restaurant owners and polystyrene manufacturers. After three years of litigation, a judge ruled in favor of the city. In 2019, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a state-wide ban.

Health myths

According to American Cancer society the use of polystyrene is safe for food services . Styrene is considered by both the

EPA The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

and IARC to be a possible carcinogen. It poses a health risk to workers involved in the production of styrene and polystyrene items, and industries have a compliance program to deal with liabilities. Prolonged exposure to high amounts of styrene may affect the central nervous system.

References