Imagine coming home from a day at work and all you can think about is cooking up a delicious meal in your new pan. You start to heat up the pan when you hear a strange sound, you frown and inspect the pan when suddenly a hot metal disc shoots off and strikes you in the face.
This is what a few customers of Macy’s had to deal with late last December. People heating up the stainless steel cookware for a meal were burned and bruised by metal discs that popped off of the pans. This led the manufacturer to issue a recall of 121,000 cookware sets.
The last thing any importer wants is a damaging product recall due to safety concerns. Cookware products carry higher risks for safety issues and must be subjected to tests beyond what ordinary QC personnel can typically perform at a factory. Being familiar with these lab tests for cookware can help you ensure you’re buying or importing a quality product that is safe for your customers.
Food contact testing applies to any product or packaging that’s meant to come in contact with food. Food contact testing determines overall chemical migration and the presence of any residual substances. This testing looks for residual materials remaining on the product following manufacturing.
"Food contact testing determines overall chemical migration and the presence of any residual substances."The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offers information for various safety guidelines and regulations applied to cookware. You might have to be more (or less) strict when applying this food contact testing to your own product.
When thinking about lab tests for cookware, consider all the minor components that go into makin
Arguably the most important test, the performance test subjects your product to a variety of smaller tests, some of which include lab testing for:
These small tests will give you a comprehensive understanding of your product and how it compares to what’s offered by your competitors. The thermal shock test and heat exposure test would have been good indicators for Macy’s. The issue with the metal discs could have been found and addressed prior to shipment, and most importantly, prior to sale and use by end consumers.
One of the more technical lab tests for cookware, exterior chemical testing examines the release of different chemicals from a specific area of the cookware. Different material covering different areas of the item can be problematic and potentially hazardous for your customers if not checked thoroughly.
"Exterior chemical testing examines the release of different chemicals from a specific area of the cookware."For example, if you look at the rim of a skillet or pot, you'll find it looks different than the rest of the item. The rim is a problem area in terms of chemical leak because it is the edge. While the rest of the item is usually sealed with a coating, the edge is bare.
Being an importer of cookware products holds you liable for more than just the visible quality aspects of your products. Cookware is a relatively sensitive product type since it deals with high heat and food preparation. And hazards like those met by customers at Macy’s could lead you to suffer huge financial and legal setbacks.
Be sure to consider these five lab tests for cookware. They will help you identify potential issues with your product before it leaves the factory.