Plastic wrap is known as cling-film in the United Kingdom and cling wrap in Australia and the United States. Commonly known brands of plastic wrap in the U.S. include Saran wrap, Glad wrap and Stretch-Tite.
Food plastic wrap, also known as cling film, food wrap, and saran wrap, is a thin plastic film commonly used for sealing and securing food items in containers to keep fresh.
Aussies will call this product cling wrap or glad wrap after the most popular name brand.
Australian made Castaway® Stretch'n'Seal® cling wrap film offers superior cling, stretch and clarity, sealing in freshness and flavour to maximise shelf life, whilst allowing the contents to breathe.
Clingfilm, meaning plastic wrap. I love the differences between British and English cooking (cookery!)
The word Saran was formed from a combination of John Reilly's wife's and daughter's names, Sarah and Ann Reilly. In 1949, Dow introduced Saran Wrap, a thin, clingy plastic wrap that was sold in rolls and used primarily for wrapping food. It quickly became popular for preserving food items stored in the refrigerator.
But few of us actually realize that, not only do Americans not call it cling film, they also replace the term with Saran wrap. Because nothing screams capitalism more than using a brand name to universally describe a singular kitchen product.
It goes by many names – cling film, cling wrap, plastic wrap, Glad wrap, Saran wrap – but we all know the pain of wrestling with the plastic food wrap that's difficult to tear off the roll and manages to cling to itself no matter how you handle it.
Australian history
Glad Wrap and Glad Bags were introduced in Australia in 1966; Glad was the first to introduce cling-type wrap to the Australian market.
After seeing it in action at a friend's house and finally purchasing my own box, it's definitely something I plan to keep in stock. It differs from cling wrap in that it creates an actual seal against a variety of surfaces, including plastic, paper, wood, metal, foam and glass.
poly sheeting, visqueen, plastic film, reinforced plastic, self-adhesive films, tarps, root barriers, underlayments, greenhouse films, plastic covering, and so on. Plastic sheeting is often made from polyethylene film as its main ingredient. Other additives can be added to it.
Cling wrap, cling film, plastic wrap, Saran wrap, or Glad wrap is a thin film used primarily for sealing food in containers to preserve it for extended periods. Cling wrap is commonly sold on rolls in boxes that have a cutting edge.
To protect and secure products for retail and shipping environments, there are three main types of films used in shrink wrapping: polyvinyl chloride, polyolefin and polyethylene.
Some common synonyms of cling are adhere, cleave, cohere, and stick. While all these words mean "to become closely attached," cling implies attachment by hanging on with arms or tendrils.
Common plastic wrap is roughly 0.01 mm thick. Plastic wrap is known as cling-film in the United Kingdom and cling wrap in Australia and the United States. Commonly known brands of plastic wrap in the U.S. include Saran wrap, Glad wrap and Stretch-Tite.
Plastic bag bans in Australia were implemented in the early 21st century by the country's states and territories, rather than through federal law. The intent of the bans is to help reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the environment, both in and around Australia and globally.
The New South Wales Government's ban on single-use plastics commenced on 1 November 2022, banning plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates and bowls, expanded polystyrene food service items, plastic cotton bud sticks, and microbeads in cosmetics. Lightweight plastic shopping bags were phased out on 1 June 2022.
The sticky film was a plastic called polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) and its first use was as a protective spray on fighter planes. It was later used on car upholstery and even as a lining for soldiers' boots.
Wax wraps are arguably one the most versatile cling wrap alternatives. They come in an array of sizes and can be used to wrap sandwiches, cheese, most solid foods, also cover bowls, or folded down to create a little pocket or pouch for snacks.
Beeswax wraps are one of the simplest and easiest cling wrap swaps you can make. They come in a range of cute prints and sizes, and all you need to do is rinse them and wipe clean so they're ready to use again. They typically last 12 months if you care for them properly.
In response to consumer concerns over chemicals in plastics, SC Johnson changed the forumla for Saran Wrap, substituting LDPE (low-density polyethylene) for the PVDC, which eliminated DEHA in the product.
This statistic shows the brands of plastic / paper / kitchen and food wrap used in the United States from 2013 to 2020. The data has been calculated by Statista based on the U.S. Census data and Simmons National Consumer Survey (NHCS). According to this statistic, 134 million Americans used Glad Cling Wrap in 2020.
As part of this ban, the items that have been banned are - ice cream sticks; candy sticks; polythene bags; plastic plates; cups, glasses & cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw & trays made with plastic, wrapping films on sweet boxes, stirrers, wrapping/packaging films like cling wraps.
The major brand is Saran Wrap, which many use as a generic, similar to Xerox, Kleenex, or aspirin. However, on the packages of competing brands, it's called “plastic wrap.”