The charity warns heat and wear may drive chemical migration into food as pressure builds for tighter UK food-contact material rules.
Breast Cancer UK has urged consumers to stop cooking with plastic utensils this Plastic Free July, warning that everyday spatulas, spoons and whisks may expose people to potentially harmful chemicals during food preparation.
The charity is calling on households across Britain to switch to wooden utensils and sign a pledge demanding tougher UK regulation of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in everyday products.
At the centre of the campaign is a food safety concern for domestic and professional kitchens: whether heat, wear and damage can allow chemicals or microplastics to migrate from food-contact materials into meals.
Breast Cancer UK said plastic cooking utensils are a particular concern because they can crack, warp, chip or melt when used with hot food. Damaged edges may also scratch non-stick coatings, potentially releasing further chemicals into food.
Research has shown that every time your hot food or drink comes into contact with a plastic utensil, lid, or cup, the heat may cause more microplastics and EDCs to leach directly into your food.
This is concerning from a human health perspective as it increases our consumption of these chemicals, and the extent to which these build up in the body and their consequent effects is hard to measure.”
Breast Cancer UK ambassador and environmental chemist Stuart Harrad, who sits on DEFRA’s Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee
Food-contact risks under scrutiny
The charity argues that consumers should not have to manage chemical exposure product by product, and wants ministers to remove EDCs from everyday items unless they are proven safe.
According to Breast Cancer UK, seven in 10 Britons are unaware of EDCs, while only one in 10 associate cookware with hormonal health. Some EDCs can mimic or increase the production of oestrogen in the body and have been linked to serious illnesses, including breast cancer.
Breast Cancer UK ambassador and environmental chemist Stuart Harrad, who sits on DEFRA’s Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee, said heat was a critical factor in assessing the safety of plastic items used during cooking.
“Research has shown that every time your hot food or drink comes into contact with a plastic utensil, lid, or cup, the heat may cause more microplastics and EDCs to leach directly into your food,” he said. “This is concerning from a human health perspective as it increases our consumption of these chemicals, and the extent to which these build up in the body and their consequent effects is hard to measure.”
Breast Cancer UK said switching to wooden utensils offers consumers an immediate way to reduce exposure.
Dr Hannah Moody, Director of Research and Engagement at Breast Cancer UK, added: “By switching from plastic to wooden utensils, we can reduce our chemical load immediately. Wooden utensils don’t break down when we are using them; they are built to last decades. And best of all, they cost you less than your average Americano.”
PFAS pressure adds to regulatory debate
The campaign comes as food-contact chemicals face growing scrutiny in the UK. A recent report from the cross-party Environmental Audit Committee called for urgent action on perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, a family of more than 10,000 synthetic chemicals used in consumer and industrial products.
The committee recommended an “essential use” approach to PFAS regulation and phased restrictions on non-essential uses, including food packaging, cookware and school uniforms, from 2027.
That pressure has extended into food retail. The University of Birmingham, in a study commissioned by environmental campaign group Foodrise, recently detected PFAS in every Tesco food product it analysed. Products including cod fillets, turkey sausages and tinned hot dogs contained what campaigners described as “worryingly high” levels of the chemicals.
However, researchers said the most significant finding was not the concentration detected in any individual product, but the presence of PFAS in every sample analysed.
Breast Cancer UK said voluntary swaps remain only part of the answer and is urging the public to back its pledge for stronger chemical controls.
The charity’s CEO Thalie Martini added: “There is ample evidence to suggest that we should be removing these chemicals from our products until they are proven safe, and we must make it clear that we will not be guinea pigs any longer. With just one signature from every supporter, we can collectively make a stand.”
No comments yet