Foam food container

Styrofoam is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company for closed-cell extruded polystyrene (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.

It is standard for Cantonese cuisine in Hong Kong and many parts of China and sometimes used overseas in various restaurants, particularly in the United States and Canada.

[2] However, microbial degradation of styrene via methanogens has been investigated and confirmed, intermediate products being various organic substances and carbon dioxide.

[12][13] 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.