TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Consumers Foundation announced Tuesday that it randomly tested 30 beverage cups, which showed no signs of plasticizer contamination.
The tests were conducted after concerns about the potential ingestion of plasticizers from beverage cups, such as those used for bubble tea. To address these concerns, the foundation conducted tests in September 2024.
The foundation randomly purchased 30 samples from convenience stores, coffee shops, fast food chains, and bubble tea shops in Taipei and New Taipei. These samples, consisting of tea, coffee, and milk tea, were served in cups with inner coatings and tested for phthalate plasticizers.
Phthalate plasticizers are commonly used in the plastic industry to make plastics more flexible. They are also found in adhesives, paints, inks, and products such as insecticides, hair sprays, nail polishes, and cosmetics.
The WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer classified the phthalate plasticizer DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) as a Group 2B carcinogen to humans. Group 2B means the substance might cause cancer in people, based on limited human studies and some, but not conclusive, evidence from animal tests.
Taiwan currently does not have a maximum allowable limit for phthalate plasticizers in food. However, in 2011, the Food and Drug Administration issued guidelines aimed at reducing plasticizer content in food, providing businesses with a framework to monitor and manage plasticizer levels.
While the foundation found no issues with the tested products, it recommended that consumers bring their own cups for both environmental and food safety reasons. The foundation also suggested that sealing films on beverage cups should indicate their heat resistance temperature.
The test revealed that most containers were made from polypropylene (PP) for the cup lids, polyethylene (PE) for the coated paper cups, and plastic sealing films. Both the PP and PE materials were marked with heat resistance temperatures following labeling guidelines.
However, the sealing films did not have such markings. Since these films come into direct contact with food, the foundation recommends that heat resistance temperatures be labeled on the packaging.
