Silicone Mold, Grater, Pasta Press – the Name of an Object Doesn’t Begin to Express its Suitability

Ein Bericht aus unserem Laboralltag

Magdalena Köhler

 

In 2015 kitchen utensils investigated in the lab were found not to function as promised on the packaging. The grater couldn’t grate, the pasta machine couldn’t make pasta, and the ice crusher couldn’t crush ice.

 

Photos of Kitchen Aids.

 

Suitability test

Every year, in addition to proofing whether food commodity materials are in line with regulations, we also test their functionality. We check, for example, styrofoam trays, non-stick coating of pans, and the hardness of disposable plastic salt grinders, as well as the functionality of the above-mentioned kitchen aids. (See article, in German, “Menüschalen, Pfannen, Salzmühlen und Co. – Im Eignungstest teilweise für den Kontakt mit Lebensmitteln nicht geeignet”).

 

The individual functions of the kitchen aids are tested following the usage instructions.

 

Examples

According to the label, the blender should be able to easily make "crushed ice”. However, even after the machine had run several minutes we could only see small chunks of ice in the lower half of the mixer glass.

 

With the pasta maker the dough could only be pressed one centimeter through the mold. There was no trace of “fine Italian pasta”. Further, the pasta maker was made of plastic with little durability. We could exert very little pressure on the lever – adding more pressure caused the plastic to crack.

 

The grater was also untrue to its promises. The carrot couldn’t be grated properly. Here, too, the problem was with the plastic. The material was too soft and couldn’t provide any resistance to the carrot.

 

Legal Requirements

Deception with Food Contact Materials

According to Art. 3, Para. 2 of Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004, the labeling, advertising and packaging of materials and goods are not permitted to mislead consumers. Also, § 33, Para. 1 of the German Food, Consumer Goods and Feed Code (LFGB) forbids the marketing of materials or goods meant for food contact that have misleading labels, declarations, or packaging. Moreover, it is not permitted to advertise consumer goods, either in general or in individual cases, that have misleading descriptions or claims.

 

Summary

As the examples show, the promises on kitchen utensil packaging are often not fulfilled. When purchasing a kitchen aid that requires a heavy mechanical load, the consumer should pay special attention to the description of the material. Plastic should be avoided at stress points. Optimally, one could request a demonstration of the functionality of the product at the place of purchase.

 

CVUA Stuttgart will continue to test and evaluate the suitability of such kitchen aids. The products mentioned above were judged to be misleading in accordance with Art. 3, Para. 2 of Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004 in connection with § 33, Para. 1 of the LFGB.

 

Sources

[1] Ordinance (EC) 1935/2004: Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004 of the European Parliament and the Council, from 27 October 2004 for food contact materials and objects, and the suspension of Directives 80/590/EEC and 89/109/EEC (OJ, L 338/4), last amended via Regulation (EC) No. 596/2009 of 18 June 2009 (OJ, L 188/14)

 

[2] LFGB: Food, Consumer Goods and Feed Code in the published version of 3 June 2013 (BGBl. I, p. 1,426), last amended via Art. 67 of the law of 31 August 2015 (BGBl. I p. 1,474)

 

Artikel erstmals erschienen am 29.08.2016