1. Disposable paper cups are divided into cold drink cups and hot drink cups

Disposable paper cups are paper containers made from wood pulp into base paper and then processed. There are generally two types of coatings on the inner wall of the paper cups, one is waxed paper cups, and the other is PE coated paper cups.

Precautions:

Do not mix cold and hot paper cups.

Both paper cups are not suitable for alcoholic beverages. Alcohol has strong permeability and is easy to cause leakage. The longer the time, the more leakage.

Do not use disposable paper cups repeatedly, as the stiffness will decrease.

1) Waxed paper cup

Waxed paper cups are coated with a layer of wax on the inner wall of the paper cup to isolate the food or drinking water inside the paper cup from direct contact with the paper container. It is now generally used as a cold drink cup.

Someone once said that "waxed paper cups cannot be filled with hot drinks, because the wax layer on the surface will melt and mix into the food, affecting health."

This statement is actually not accurate. The first thing to be clear is that the wax layer coated inside the regular and qualified disposable paper cups is edible wax, which is non-toxic and insoluble in water. It can be excreted in the body after a small amount of consumption.

However, the melting point of edible wax is indeed low, and it will be more stable between 0°-5°. But even if it is filled with hot water, a small amount of edible wax is taken into the body, so you don't have to panic as long as you don't use it frequently.

Therefore, using wax-coated paper cups (cold drink cups) to hold hot drinks poses the biggest safety hazard. When the wax layer gradually melts, the cup body will soften and deform after contact with water. Spilled water may burn yourself.

2) Coated (PE) paper cup

PE film (PE) paper cup is covered with a layer of PE film on the inner wall of the paper cup, which is very smooth and can play the role of waterproof and oil proof. PE is polyethylene, and polyethylene is the safest chemical substance in food processing, which is what we often call plastic.

This material is odorless, non-toxic and feels like wax and has low water absorption, so it is often used as a waterproof material. Its melting point is between 120°-140°, and the boiling point of water is 100°, so it will not dissolve in water and it is safer to use.

At present, most of the disposable paper cups on the market are single-layer coated (PE) paper cups, that is, only the inner wall of the paper cup has a film, but the outer wall does not.

Therefore, it is not recommended to be used for cold drinks, because it is easy to form condensed water on the outer wall of the cup when cold drinks are served. The condensed water will easily soften the cup body and decrease its stiffness, and the paper cup will easily deform and cause water to spill.

In fact, the waxed paper cups on the market have been reduced a lot. Most of the paper cups we see are coated (PE) paper cups. If you want to drink hot drinks, you can buy a single-layer coated paper cup. If you want to drink cold drinks, it is best to buy a double-layer coated paper cup. Paper cups (the outer and inner walls are coated with film).

2. Guide to purchasing disposable paper cups

In waxed paper cups, regular products will use edible wax. Inferior products are likely to use industrial wax in order to reduce costs. Industrial wax contains impurities, and drinking it will cause harm to the human body.

In PE paper cups, regular products are made of polyethylene (PE). Inferior products are likely to use recycled polyethylene in order to reduce costs. Recycled polyethylene will undergo cracking changes during reprocessing and produce many harmful compounds. It is easy to drift to water during use and cause health hazards.

So, how do we judge the safety of disposable paper cups?

1) Buy regular brands, don’t be greedy for cheap

If you have a need to buy disposable paper cups, then go to a regular supermarket to prefer well-known paper cup products. Most of the paper cup products circulating in regular shopping malls and supermarkets are tested and qualified, and products of well-known brands usually occupy larger shelves.

2) Read the product information carefully

Look for the "QS" logo. According to the requirements of the State Administration for Market Supervision, food paper packaging containers and other products including paper cups must have the "QS" mark before they can be sold. Moreover, the material used (wax or PE) and the applicable temperature of the disposable paper cup are also marked on the packaging bag.

3) Observe the paper cup carefully

❶ Observe whether the inner and outer surfaces of the paper cup are clean, whether there is any deformation, mildew, and whether the thickness is uniform. Good quality paper cups have good resilience and will not become soft when pinched.

❷ Pay attention to the principle of upper 15 and lower 10 for cold and hot paper cups. Because the graphite on the disposable paper cups with patterns is easy to fall off, which is not friendly to health. The mouth of the cup is easy to touch the lips, and the bottom of the cup is worried about penetration. Therefore, there should be no printing within 15mm of the mouth of the cup and 10mm of the bottom of the cup. This must be up to the standard of the regular manufacturer.

❸ Smell it, if there is a pungent ink smell or other pungent smell, don't use it.

If you are drinking from a disposable paper cup outside, pay attention to the last part.

Reference materials:

1: National Standard "Paper Cup" (GB/T 27590-2011)

2: General Administration of Market Supervision "Common Sense of Safe Use of Paper Cups"