We don't sell any bamboo products but we do have bamboo coffee cups and lunch boxes at home, so wanted to pass this information along from the UK Food Standards Agency.
Notice to retailers: Plastic containers or utensils containing bamboo
12 June 2023
Businesses are being told that they should not be selling plastic containers or utensils which contain bamboo and other plant-based materials, for example rice husks, wheat straw and hemp.
The Food Standards Agency is also encouraging retailers and other businesses to respond to a call for evidence, launched today, to help determine the long-term safety of food contact materials which contain bamboo and similar plant-based materials in the UK. Until these products have been fully assessed and authorised, they will not be able to remain on the market, and products currently on the market should be withdrawn.
An initial assessment of the risks presented by food contact plastics with added bamboo has been carried out by the Committee on Toxicity (COT), the independent group of scientists which provides advice to the FSA and other government departments and agencies on matters concerning the toxicity of chemicals.
The COT determined that, in some cases, the presence of bamboo and similar plant-based matter in plastic materials could result in the migration of the plastic components, such as formaldehyde or melamine, into food or drink above their legal limit.