The Consumers’ Foundation on Friday urged the government to tighten screening and regulations for chopsticks after it found that some utensils marketed as made from high-grade stainless steel were composed of inferior materials.
The foundation in August randomly purchased 10 brands of chopsticks from stores in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as online, foundation secretary-general Hsu Tse-yu (徐則鈺) told a news conference in Taipei.
Five brands were labeled as stainless steel, while four claimed to be melamine and one alloy steel.
Photo courtesy of the Consumers’ Foundation via CNA
Foundation inspector Ling Yung-chien (凌永健) said that of the stainless steel chopsticks, only two were made from 300-series stainless steel, which is considered safe for people to eat with.
The other three brands were made from materials that could not be categorized under Taiwan’s National Standards of the Republic of China, Ling said.
All four of the melamine brands passed lead and cadmium inspections, he said.
While all four of the melamine brands passed a dissolution test for residual solvents, one failed potassium permanganate and formaldehyde output tests, he said.
Failing the potassium permanganate stress test means that the products could likely “bleed out” substances, such as coloring and plasticizers, which could be harmful when ingested, Ling said.
As the WHO has deemed formaldehyde a carcinogenic substance that could cause congenital abnormalities, the foundation said that utensils made with such substances should be removed from shelves immediately.
The foundation urges the government to establish better screening protocols for chopsticks to help guarantee people’s health and well-being, Hsu said.
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