Choosing the right type of cutlery is important whether you are looking to make a positive impression on your guests or are trying to make a difference in the environment.
**Before disposal of any product, check with your commercial hauler to confirm that they are accepting these products in your area. Disposal options for each resin code vary by state and facility.
***Certified compostable in commercial facilities.
Depending on your business’ needs, wants, and budget, each type of cutlery material can provide your business with advantages or disadvantages.
The most common type of disposable cutlery is made of plastic. Plastic cutlery is made from either polypropylene or polystyrene.
Polypropylene
Advantages:
Polypropylene is the cheapest disposable cutlery option.
Polypropylene is the most flexible plastic cutlery option. It can withstand the most twisting and bending before breaking.
Polypropylene has a heat tolerance of 250℉* before distortion.
Polypropylene cutlery is available in light weight, medium weight, and heavy weight, as well as various lengths and sizes.
Disadvantages:
Polypropylene is recyclable, but acceptance will vary by state and facility. Before disposal of any product, check with your commercial hauler to confirm that they are accepting polypropylene cutlery in your area.
Polypropylene is not compostable.
Polystyrene
Advantages:
Polystyrene is the second least expensive.
Polystyrene has a heat tolerance of 180℉* before distortion.
It is offered in light weight, medium weight, and heavy weight, as well as various lengths and sizes.
Disadvantages:
Polystyrene is the most rigid plastic cutlery option and will break more easily than polypropylene under extreme pressure.
It is recyclable, but acceptance will vary by state and facility. Before disposal of any product, check with your commercial hauler to confirm that they are accepting polystyrene cutlery in your area.
Polystyrene is not compostable.
Plant Starch Material (PSM)
PSM cutlery is also known as plant starch material cutlery. PSM cutlery is made from a combination of plastic, such as polypropylene, and plant starch materials, such as corn and potato starch.
PSM is more expensive compared to polypropylene or polystyrene plastic cutlery but can offer cost savings compared to other environmentally friendly disposable cutlery options.
Advantages:
PSM cutlery is typically made from 20-30% plastic and 70-80% plant materials. The plastic component gives it the density and strength to bend before breaking.
PSM has a heat tolerance of 200℉* before distortion.
Disadvantages:
PSM has lost popularity in recent years as advancements in other cutlery options have been made available.
Unlike polypropylene or polystyrene, PSM cutlery does not use light, medium, or heavy weight as an indicator of cutlery density or size. The strength of PSM cutlery will be determined by the size and length of the product, and will vary by manufacturer.
PSM cutlery is not compostable because the 20-30% which is made of plastic materials that will not decompose.
PSM cutlery is not recyclable.
Cutlery which can be composted either at home or at a commercial facility will leave a smaller footprint on the earth and is considered more environmentally friendly.
More environmentally friendly disposable cutlery options include: CPLA (Crystallized Polylactic Acid), Bamboo, Molded Fiber, and Wood.
Crystallized Polylactic Acid (CPLA)
CPLA also known as crystallized polylactic acid is sometimes referred to as PLA.
CPLA is more expensive than disposable plastic cutlery but is the cheapest environmentally friendly option.
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Advantages:
CPLA cutlery is certified compostable and will compost within 60 – 180 days in commercial composting facilities.
CPLA has a heat tolerance of 185℉* before distortion.
It is offered in light weight, medium weight, and heavy weight, as well as various lengths and sizes.
Disadvantages:
CPLA is very rigid and will break under extreme pressure.
Bamboo
Bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource making it a great option for disposable cutlery.
Bamboo is more expensive than plastic and CPLA cutlery. Bamboo is similar in price to molded fiber.
Advantages:
Bamboo cutlery is certified compostable.
It is smooth and lightweight.
Bamboo has a heat tolerance of 200℉*.
If you are looking to display your sustainability efforts, bamboo cutlery can make it obvious to your customers that you consider the full product life cycle when making product decisions.
Disadvantages:
Bamboo cutlery does not use light, medium, or heavy weight as an indicator of cutlery density or size. The strength of bamboo cutlery will be determined by the size and length of the product, and will vary by manufacturer.
Bamboo cutlery does not come in a standard color. Color can vary by each piece.
Molded Fiber
Molded fiber is made from a blend of recycled paperboard, newsprint, sugarcane, wheat fiber, and other natural plant material.
Molded fiber is similar in price to bamboo.
Advantages:
Molded fiber cutlery is certified compostable and will compost within 60 – 180 days in commercial composting facilities.
Molded fiber has a heat tolerance of 250℉*.
Molded fiber is the best option for facilities that need a safe (not sharp) cutlery option such as in prisons or hospitals.
Disadvantages:
Molded fiber is the least durable cutlery option.
If left to sit in a liquid for too long, molded fiber cutlery will become soft.
Molded fiber cutlery does not use light, medium, or heavy weight as an indicator of cutlery density or strength.
The strength of molded fiber cutlery will be determined by the size and length of the product, and will vary by manufacturer.
Related: Molded Fiber Food Packaging With PFAS: Is it Safe? Is it Compostable?
Wood
Wood cutlery can be made from a variety of wood types including birch, pine, willow, or poplar.
Wood is the most expensive option.
Advantages:
Wood cutlery is certified compostable and will compost in any composting environment.
Wooden cutlery can be manufactured without any chemicals.
Wood cutlery has a heat tolerance of 200℉*.
If you are looking to display your sustainability efforts, wood cutlery can make it obvious to your customers that you consider the full product life cycle when making product decisions.
Disadvantages:
Wooden cutlery is porous and absorbent allowing it to absorb bacteria and moisture from food and liquids.
If wood cutlery is not properly manufactured or if it has a defect, it can allow for cracking and splintering of the wood, which can potentially cause harm to your guests. Bending or twisting wood cutlery can also lead to cracking and splintering.
Wood cutlery does not use light, medium, or heavy weight as an indicator of cutlery density or strength. The strength of wood cutlery will be determined by the type of wood and its thickness.
Finding the right cutlery to meet your company’s needs is important to the satisfaction of your customers and success of your business.
If you’re located in the United States, Puerto Rico, or the Caribbean, Imperial Dade can offer a variety of foodservice products to support your business’ disposable cutlery needs.
We know that selecting products with the right balance of performance and price can be challenging. An Imperial Dade Foodservice Specialist can review your foodservice operation and recommend the best products for the unique demands of your business.
Food is closely related to human health because they are the closest contact with food. Some people may say that it is not enough to rinse the pots and pans cleanly. In fact, the inherent quality of tableware is also very important. Poor selection will have a negative impact on our health. There is a dizzying variety of tableware on the market today. In terms of materials, it is generally divided into ceramics, enamel, wood, bamboo, plastic, glass, iron, aluminum, copper, stainless steel, etc. Scientific research has shown that some tableware contains certain toxic substances. After contacting with certain foods, the toxic substances in it will enter the food, which is harmful to human health. Therefore, we should be very careful when choosing tableware.
Advantages and disadvantages of tableware of various materials
1. Ceramic tableware: It is a great invention in China and is used the most.
The production methods of ceramic tableware are divided into three types: on-glaze color, under-glaze color, and in-glaze color. What are on-glaze, in-glaze, and under-glaze colors? Why is the surface of porcelain smooth and bright? This is because it is covered with a layer of enamel. As the name suggests, on-glaze color is the painted pattern attached to the glaze surface, in-glaze color is the painted pattern melted into the middle of the glaze, and under-glaze color is the painted pattern on the underglaze ceramic body. We see that the patterns are also painted on the surface of the tableware, some are smooth and flat, some have a protruding sense, and there is also a clear sense of unevenness when touched by hand. On-glaze color is to paint the pattern on the burned porcelain body, and then fix it by high temperature heating. If the craftsmanship is not excellent, the on-glaze color tableware will wear out or peel off after a period of time. In addition, some on-glaze pigments contain harmful metals such as lead and cadmium. These harmful elements are easily dissolved when cooking acidic food, which is harmful to health. Therefore, when purchasing daily-use porcelain, it is best to purchase advanced technology and use environmentally friendly pigments. For daily use porcelain, you can also choose ceramic tableware with underglaze color and underglaze color.
2, enamel tableware:
It is resistant to acid and alkali corrosion and has stable chemical properties. However, enamel tableware is made of iron products fired with enamel, and enamel contains compounds such as lead silicate, which are harmful to the human body.
3. Wooden tableware:
Economical and practical, but easy to be polluted and difficult to clean, except for wooden panels, chopsticks, etc. Wooden tableware has been used less frequently.
4. Bamboo tableware:
Bamboo chopsticks are the most used, which are economical and practical, and do not waste wood, but they should be kept dry, otherwise they are prone to mold. Especially in the south, in the rainy and humid season, you should pay attention to washing them and put them in a ventilated place.
5. Plastic tableware:
The advantages are light weight, beautiful appearance, not easy to break, and low price, and are deeply loved by people. However, plastic tableware is mostly made of polyvinyl chloride and other polymer materials with additives. If the monomer vinyl chloride is not removed cleanly or the additives are used improperly, it will also endanger human health. Non-toxic plastic tableware is made of raw materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene and melamine. Melamine plastic is a kind of thermosetting plastic. It is made of melamine (melamine) formaldehyde resin as the main raw material, adding an appropriate amount of pulp cellulose fillers and colorants and other auxiliary materials. It is non-toxic, tasteless, acid and alkali resistant. It is mostly used to make children’s tableware on the market.
6. Glass tableware:
Clean and hygienic, generally free of toxic substances. But glass cutlery is fragile and sometimes “mold”. This is because the glass is eroded by water for a long time, and the sodium silicate in the glass reacts with carbon dioxide in the air to form white carbonic acid crystals, which are harmful to human health and should be washed off with alkaline detergents frequently.
7. Iron tableware:
Generally speaking, iron tableware is non-toxic. However, it should be noted that iron utensils are prone to rust, and rust can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, upset, poor appetite and other symptoms; in addition, it is not suitable to use iron containers to hold cooking oil, because the oil is stored in iron utensils for too long. Easily oxidative deterioration.
8 aluminum tableware:
Aluminum products are widely used because of their lightness, durability, high quality and low price. Although there is no complete scientific research data to prove the relationship between aluminum tableware and human health, most experts believe that excessive accumulation of aluminum in the human body will accelerate human aging and be harmful to health. Therefore, when using aluminum tableware, do not scrape it. If you scrape off aluminum chips, it is best not to eat it. In addition, aluminum tableware should not be cooked with acidic and alkaline foods, otherwise, aluminum will be dissolved in large quantities.
9 copper tableware:
The appearance is gorgeous, the color is like gold, and it is very stylish, such as copper hot pot, which is very popular among people. The trace copper elements dissolved when cooking food in a copper pot are beneficial to the human body. However, after the copper is rusted, “patina” (basic copper acetate) and blue alum (copper sulfate) can be produced. Both verdigris and blue alum are poisonous and can cause nausea, vomiting and even poisoning. Therefore, for copper tableware with patina, it should be removed before use.
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