FUNFAM ensures safe and anxiety-free products

January 29, 2010

Safety report for coatings of FUNFAM bamboo plates and cutlery:

Coatings applied to standard plates and cutlery
Plates and cutlery made of standard wood or plastic are inevitably and characteristically weak in nature without a coating applied; they readily effect changes in shape and quality and run a risk of releasing slightly noxious substances when exposed to high temperatures. (All plants contain small quantities of hazardous substances, including formaldehyde, in order to keep natural enemies at bay.) As a measure to ensure product safety and shape retention, final coatings, usually of phenol, urethan or melamine, are applied.
Properties of standard materials for plates and cutlery:
-Natural timber (Japanese cedar, hinoki cypress, cherry, etc.)-
Has excellent texture. Natural but yielding materials that readily effect changes in shape and quality. Their supply is limited out of consideration for the environment, especially in regard to deforestation, with availability decreasing annually.
-Particle board (many wood types)-
Does not readily effect changes in shape and quality. Formed from wood chips of several wood types so supply is stable. Poorer texture when compared to natural wood. Use of greater amount of adhesive agent generates a risk of releasing larger amounts of noxious substances, including formaldehyde, when exposed to high heat or high-temperature food and beverages.
-Plastic-
Made of petroleum. Thus, easily pliable and does not readily effect changes in shape or quality. Solid coating is necessary as plastic has a chance of melting even at low temperatures.

Coatings applied to bamboo plates and cutlery
Materials:
FUNFAM products are made of natural moso bamboo, which is native to China and Japan and is considered among the biggest and most beautiful. We cut rare 5mm-thickness bamboo into planks, glue them together to make bamboo plywood using a minimum amount of formaldehyde-free adhesive agent especially designed for plate production. We chose this adhesive agent with careful consideration of health hazards. (Standard plywood is made by pressing a mixture of crushed wood materials and adhesive agents while bamboo-made plywood uses glue only on the surface of the bamboo pieces.) To put safety first, three layers of coatings made in Japan are applied to the surface while the gluing method is carefully designed so that the glued surface will not make contact with human skin. The safety level of the coatings is equal or even better than that used for plates at elementary schools.
Guarantee of safety for FUNFAM bamboo plates and cutlery:
Coatings: polyurethane resin paint (made in Japan) Coating method: coating applied by hand by experts Final safety inspection: inspection based on the good hygiene law done by Japan Food Research Laboratories, an external body and public research organization. Their analysis include checking emissions of noxious substances from wood, coatings and adhesive agents and measuring them from a certain surface area. To put the maximum focus on safety, we meet the most stringent safety requirements, standards for synthetic resin apparatus and each of its materials, not the standards for wooden plates and cutlery.