Bamboo dishes that contain plastic
Food-contact items made of so-called "bamboo fibre" are currently very popular with consumers. They are available on the market in a variety of forms such as coffee-to-go mugs, plates and dishes, drinking cups and lunch boxes.
Rather than being a pure natural product, in most cases they are made of plastic, the form being given by a melamine-formaldehyde synthetic resin (MF resin). A large proportion of bamboo fibre is added as a filler. As a result, the consumer perceives the products as being more "natural" and an alternative to standard plastic dishes.
In legal terms, the products are plastic products within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 10/2011. In other words, they are food-contact items made of plastic. When they are used in contact with acidic and hot foods, unacceptable amounts of melamine and formaldehyde may be transferred from the product to the food.
This is also the result published by the German consumer organisation Stiftung Warentest (08/2019) for coffee-to-go cups made of bamboo fibre. Of the twelve cups tested, only one showed no anomalies. The others were conspicuous either for their labelling (e.g. "natural") or for the increased release of melamine and formaldehyde, or even both.
The European Commission is also working on the issue of bamboo fibres in plastic food-contact materials and has recently published a summary of the current state of debate.
Migration test, sensory quality and labelling check
For the conformity of your food-contact materials: WESSLING product safety experts engaged by the manufacturers of bamboo dishes analyse and evaluate the specific migration of melamine and formaldehyde from such products, as well as their sensory quality. They also give ratings for the product labelling.
Your contact concerning bamboo dishes
- Rémy Reboullet
- +33 06 28 05 60 80
- remy.reboullet@wessling.fr
