In article >,
"Charles Baker" > wrote:

> As for the Health Inspectors....none that I know have had any problems with
> these methods - in Canada or from a number of friends in the USA. But as I
> am curious myself, I will call US depts of health and in Canada to get their
> take.

The health codes are written on the state level, not federal, so you'd
have to call a state's department of health. For restaurants,
inspections are often performed at the county level (i.e., County
So-and-So Department of Health), where the county health regulations are
based on that state's health code.

My brother is a county health inspector; I double-checked with him, and
he said it was a definite violation. His further response: "All food
contact surfaces and storage containers must be made of food grade
material as defined by the FDA or NSF," else it's a violation.

And it's not just a matter of "perfume-lilac scented garbage bags from
arm&hammer co."; as noted in my original post, there's the issue of
plasticizers (used to make plastic more pliable). They can be toxic,
especially if ingested, and plastics that are not certified as
food-grade may leach them into the food they touch. Even food-grade
plastics may do so, if heated (see:
<http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/fs-mwave.html>). And the
deodorants/pesticides on garbage bags aren't necessarily listed on the
package--i.e., the product can be unscented and contain the additives.

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