Kitchen items from black-plastic release dangerous chemicals in food

02 December 2024

A recent study conducted on household products in the US found high levels of flame retardants in cooking utensils and even children’s toys produced from recycled plastics. Flame retardants are highly toxic materials used in black plastic from TVs, computers, and other electronics.    

According to sources familiar with the study, a lot of the substances used as flame retardants, have been banned for a long time and are “incredibly toxic”. Heating up the resulting plastic products containing them, such as spatulas, spoons, or a takeout boxes, increases the rate of chemical migration into food, making things worse.

Although it only refers to the US, this study raises questions on the safety of food contact materials from recycled plastics in Europe, too as consistently raised by SAFE since 2020, concerning the lack of scrutiny on final articles from recycling.

Only starting substances and processes are monitored under the current system. .