A safety test showed that to-go cups likely meet heat resistance safety standards, the Consumers’ Foundation said yesterday, following concerns that hot beverages might cause the containers to shed microplastics.
The foundation carried out the test in September last year.
It ordered hot drinks served in 30 cups used by popular convenience stores, fast-food restaurants, cafes and bubble tea vendors in Taipei and New Taipei City, the foundation said.
Photo courtesy of the Consumers’ Foundation
The samples included six cups that contained sugar-free beverages and 24 that contained sweet beverages, it said.
The research was conducted in response to inquiries from members of the public who were concerned about the plastic membrane on single-use paper cups that has become common after a national ban on plastic cups, the foundation added.
Many consumers were worried that there was a sugar substitute in their drinks after tasting sweetness in sugar-free hot drinks they ordered, it said.
Labs found that every cup tested met national safety standards, with 29 cups showing no signs of microplastics contamination, the foundation said.
Barista Cafe’s to-go cup that contained a hot latte tested positive for the plasticizer dibutyl phthalate, but the concentration of 0.06 parts per million was well under the legal safety limit, it said.
No sugar-free drinks tested positive for sugar substitutes, including the tapioca in 11 samples, the foundation said.
Plastic containers could leach plasticizers after being in contact with oil, high temperatures or after prolonged use, the foundation said, adding that stainless steel or ceramics are the safest food containers.
Milk contains 4.9 percent lactose, a naturally occurring sugar, which makes any beverage containing milk taste sweet, it said.
Consumers should check the sweetness scale at vendors, as many businesses label drinks with the highest possible amount of sugar added as “normal” sweetness, it said.
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