CHEM Trust: Consumers Advised to Stop Using Plastic Food Contact Materials Containing Bamboo
The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have advised consumers to dispose of plastic food containers and utensils containing bamboo, due to concerns over health impacts. The agencies reiterated their requirement for businesses to stop selling the products.
Do you have a bamboo-containing re-useable cup? New findings suggest these products may not be safe for long-term use.
Back in May 2022 the FSA and FSS initially advised businesses to stop selling bamboo-containing food contact materials (FCM). This followed worries over the safety of bamboo and other unauthorised plant-based materials like rice husks, wheat straw, and hemp.
After new evidence was submitted to the FSA and FSS by the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT), the agencies concluded that there are still concerns about the health impacts of long-term use of these products.
The COT determined that the addition of bamboo to plastic materials can cause the chemicals formaldehyde and melamine to leach into food and drink above the legal limit, especially when they contain hot or acidic foods.
Long-term exposure to melamine has been found to cause kidney damage and damage to the urinary tract. Consuming high levels of formaldehyde can result in gastrointestinal symptoms.
Due to this concern, the FSA and FSS have recommended that plastic products containing bamboo should remain off the market. If people still have these products in their homes, they should be disposed of in general waste or repurposed for non-food uses.
Dr. James Cooper, deputy director of food policy at the FSA, stated:
“Following our robust risk assessment process, we have found there to be insufficient evidence to provide us with confidence that these products are safe for consumers to use and therefore, our position remains that food containers and utensils containing bamboo composite material should not be sold in Great Britain.”
Common products made from a combination of plastic and bamboo, or similar plant-based materials include reusable drinking cups, tableware and cutlery, lunch boxes, and chopping boards.
This advice is only for products made up of a mixture of plastic and bamboo, not those made entirely from bamboo or plant-based materials.
If you are uncertain if any of your products contain bamboo and plastic, you can look up the ingredients or contact the manufacturer. Products containing both often have a smooth surface and a plastic feel.
Bamboo is not the only concern when it comes to food contact materials (FCM). There are thousands of chemicals present in FCM that can potentially migrate into our food or drink. Many of these chemicals have been associated with harmful impacts on our health and can pollute the environment.
In the UK and EU current legislation governing chemicals in food contact materials is inadequate to protect people from harmful chemicals.
Find out more about our work on chemicals in food contact materials here.
Read more on how to reduce your risk from chemicals in food packaging here.