UFC-Que Choisir tested 57 products presented as alternatives to disposable plastic tableware. The results were surprising.
Since January 1 2021, straws, disposable tableware, stirrers, dinner cup lids and other biodegradable plastic items are prohibited. By 2040, the waste control law is expected to end all single-use plastic packaging. But ‘plastic free’ is not necessarily synonymous with safety as it was revealed UFC- what to choose.
On Wednesday, May 19, the Consumers Association posted on its website test results for 57 products that are vegan alternatives to disposable plastic products. The UFC condemns the excessive presence of compounds hazardous to health or the environment in these alternative products based on vegetable pulp or palm leaves.
The UFC has reported worrying results since then.66% of samples tested contained perfluorinated compounds (used to make dishes water and grease resistant without cracking, but some are carcinogenic, immunotoxic, toxic to development and / or endocrine disruptors) exceeding recommendations (2), sometimes broadly (Some Betik brand plates (3) have a content of perfluorinated compounds 140 times higher than the standard specified in Denmark)“.
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Clarify the regulations
In addition, the association warns of a potential cocktail impact of products thatProvides an accumulation of substances (in particular perfluorinated compounds, chloropropanol, aromatic amines), especially for paper straws and cardboardUFC regrets that European regulations are not precise enough about material composition.The regulations do not specify a closed list of authorized substances and additives, but only a general principle not to harm materials used by manufacturers of cutlery and other items that come into contact with food products.In particular, the UFC criticizes European authorities to define an accurate list of materials and additives that can be used without risk as alternatives to plastics for single-use dishes.
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