Reusable coffee cups made of bamboo and plastic: what the FSA and Food Standards Scotland say

The FSA's blog says bamboo food containers have become increasingly popular as an alternative to single use plastic, and that products sometimes branded as eco-friendly or biodegradable can include reusable coffee cups. Food regulators in Great Britain have a specific position on one version of this: plastic mixed with plant material. This article sets out what they said, what the plastics regulation says about authorised substances, and what to ask a supplier.

What the regulators said

In their joint notice of 30 July 2024, Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standards Agency advise consumers not to use plastic containers or utensils containing bamboo and other unauthorised plant-based materials. The notice reminds businesses not to sell such products, as they are non-compliant with legislation and come with safety concerns. It records that the two bodies told the industry in May 2022 to stop selling food contact materials containing bamboo and similar unauthorised plant-based materials, such as rice husks, wheat straw and hemp, and called for evidence.

The notice reports the Committee on Toxicity's conclusion: the presence of bamboo and similar plant-based matter in plastic materials can result in formaldehyde and melamine leaking into food or drink products above the legal limit, which is unsafe for consumers. The Committee found insufficient evidence to conclude that the products are safe, and concerns remain about the impact on health from long-term use. The FSA blog post of the same day adds that the leaking is more likely if the product is heated or comes into contact with acidic foods, and the Food Standards Scotland page quotes its Head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs as concerned about hot or acidic foods.

The bodies' decision was that these products should remain unavailable for sale in Great Britain, and that consumers who still have them should dispose of them or use them for non-food purposes. The notice adds that in Northern Ireland the products were already prohibited as food contact materials under the European Commission's food contact legislation.

Which products it covers, and which it does not

The advice does not apply to items made solely from bamboo or plant-based materials. It applies to products that combine plastic and plant-based material, and the notice asks businesses to take care to check that any bamboo or similar-plant products remaining on the market do not contain plastic components.

The FSA's blog names the products at issue. They are sometimes branded eco-friendly or biodegradable and include re-usable coffee cups, plates and bowls that have often been sold for children and young people. The blog says it can be hard to tell once a product is out of its packaging, but such products have a smooth surface and feel plasticky, and that many were marketed as compostable or biodegradable although the plastic in them means they cannot be recycled.

The rule underneath

The notice calls the materials unauthorised and non-compliant with legislation without naming a provision, and the FSA blog post does not name one either. The FSA's post implementation review of the England Regulations 2012 describes action on non-authorised substances of botanical origin, naming bamboo, rice husks and wheat straw, used as additives in food contact plastics. The FSA's authorisation guidance says regulated food contact materials need to be authorised before they can be used and placed on the market in Great Britain, with the authorisation requirements for plastic monomers and additives in Regulation 10/2011, and that new additives in plastic cannot be placed on the market until the authorisation process is complete. Article 5 of assimilated Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, in its current form substituted with effect from 1 April 2025 by SI 2025/361, says only substances of the types it lists, and which are authorised by the appropriate authority under the procedure in Regulation 1935/2004, may be intentionally used in the manufacture of plastic layers in plastic materials and articles. None of the pages read cites article 5 for bamboo, so linking the notice to that article is our own reading and not a statement from either regulator. GOV.UK shows the review as published on 25 June 2026, but its text mentions nothing later than autumn 2023. The general requirement in article 3 of Regulation 1935/2004 applies on top: constituents must not transfer to food in quantities that could endanger health, bring about an unacceptable change in the composition of the food or bring about a deterioration in its organoleptic characteristics. Our guide to food safe reusable plastic cups covers that requirement and the declaration of compliance a supplier can provide.

Words on the lid

Eco-friendly, biodegradable and compostable are claims in their own right. Our guide to compostable and eco-friendly claims sets out what the Competition and Markets Authority has said about them. The FSA blog post adds a second reason to treat those words with care: it says these composites have been branded as eco-friendly or biodegradable and marketed as compostable, although the regulators say they should not be sold.

What this site says about its coffee cups

The reusable coffee cups page describes two ranges. The Now Cups range is a 350ml (12oz) cup printed in a single colour with a secure-fit lid. The Circular cups include a reusable silicone lid and double-wall insulation, are dishwasher safe, and are described as made from recycled materials and as reusable coffee cups made from recycled paper coffee cups. The page does not name the plastic or fibre in either range, and this article makes no claim about it. Orders start at 50 cups.

What to ask a supplier

What the cup and the lid are made from, including any plant fibre and whether it is combined with plastic. What the supplier holds to show the plastic complies, including the declaration of compliance. Whether the cup is intended for hot drinks and what supports that, since the FSA's concern is greater when the product is heated. And what the supplier says the cup is not. Put the questions in writing when you ask for a quote, or order a sample cup and ask the team before you commit to a run.

Where this stands

This was checked on 30 September 2026. The joint notice is two years old, so the regulation underneath was read separately and has changed in wording since: article 5 of Regulation 10/2011 was rewritten from 1 April 2025 to refer to the appropriate authority. No later notice on the subject was found on the FSA blog, on the Food Standards Scotland page or in a search of GOV.UK, which is a search result and not proof that none exists. The FSA moved its website to GOV.UK on 25 June 2026. The FSA's own copy of the notice, on its former website, now returns a gone response, and the Committee on Toxicity paper that copy linked returns not found, so this article relies on the Food Standards Scotland page carrying the notice and on the FSA blog post. Both are still published and both still show 30 July 2024 as their date. No page read says whether the FSA withdrew its own copy of the notice or simply did not carry it over.