Stay away from bamboo coffee cups, German consumer group warns

[Anniemcc2]

Bamboo cups are officially in vogue: a much-lauded alternative to disposable coffee cups, which are responsible for 36.000 tonnes of waste per year, these “natural” cups are marketed as being environmentally-friendly, ecological and biodegradable.
Therefore, it may come as a surprise that the Stiftung Warentest, a reputable consumer organisation that investigates and compares goods on the German market, has warned people to “keep [their] hands off bamboo cups” and opt for other reusable drinks containers instead.

https://www.iamexpat.de/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/stay-away-bamboo-coffee-cups-german-consumer-group-warns

[Mandart]

Thanks for that - I've pulled all my bamboo listings pending clarification

[moonwitch]

As I suspected, no linking with science backed, peer reviewed studies.

If we all listened to consumer group opinion pieces we would have nearly empty stores.

The information there is written by someone. with nothing in their profile to indicate they have special knowledge of what they are writing about.

[Mandart]

First response back from one of my suppliers is as follows:

"Our products are regularly tested by independent institutions such as Intertek and TÜV Rheinland to demonstrate compliance with the EU’s strict Food Contact Safety regulations.These test results indicate that our products are safe, and do not harm our customers’ health in any way. We remain happy to share these test results with any of our customers".

[moonwitch]

First response back from one of my suppliers is as follows:

"Our products are regularly tested by independent institutions such as Intertek and TÜV Rheinland to demonstrate compliance with the EU’s strict Food Contact Safety regulations.These test results indicate that our products are safe, and do not harm our customers’ health in any way. We remain happy to share these test results with any of our customers".

Thanks for getting back to this thread with some really reassuring information.

I also sell bamboo products (none are marketed for use with hot drinks) and I have used the same supplier of other items for more than 10 years and have never known them to sell dangerous products.

I will continue to list all my bamboo items

[Mandart]

My supplier was quite annoyed with the article, they go a long way to ensure the quality and safety of their products and they say the article is way off the mark

[HerMajesty]

It would be interesting to know the truth.

[moonwitch]

It would be interesting to know the truth.

Journalists and editors draw their own conclusions based on the information they are expected to work with.

Studies have to be paid for by somebody so I would love to know who paid for any research that supports what this article says. This article reads like it was paid for by a manufacturer of another kind of product and wants the sales going to them for their cups instead.