Food safety hazards of bamboo skewers

Dear all,

I have been auditing an importer/ wholesaler of bamboo skewers.

Because the HACCP study was very poor, I came interested in risks related to bamboo and wooden skewers.

I have been searching the internet now for a couple of hours, but can hardly find anything useful.

I only have more questions:

- what does the process looks like?

- are sulphur and/ or hydrogen peroxide used (as is suggested on some websites)? And if the answer is yes, how do they get ride of the residues?

- are all skewers steamed before dispatch? (would that not give a deformation of the product?

- which (environmental contaminants) can be in the raw materials of the skewers?

- are there maybe different skewers for different uses? e.g. skewer for fruits or candies might be of another hygiene status than skewers intended to be cooked with meat or fish on it. 

I hope there is some one here with more knowledge about the process and hazards of producing skewers.

Process of toothpicks, disposable chopsticks and ice sticks may be comparable.

Warm greetings to all, from the Netherlands.

Is there no one here with knowledge/ experience about bamboo or wooden skewers, cutlery, utensils, chopsticks, toothpicks, etc.

The weekly newsletter (including all new topics) goes out today Madam A. D-tor, so hopefully you will get a response.

Regards,

Simon

Hi Madame A.D-tor,

Nice to hear from you.

I suspect there are a large variety of processes potentially  involved. U-tube for example.

I  previously have had some experience with bamboo skewers as used for raw seafood kebabs.

IIRC the flowchart included a boiling stage. Offhand I don’t recall any bleaching stage, eg H2O2 treatment, but not impossible.

(H2O2 would theoretically leave no residues although certain chemicals are often added as stabilizers.)(a fact which came up in an older thread here).

Micro. data, eg APC etc was consistently negligible. An occasional problem was discoloration (inadvertent defect i guess :smile:).

What was yr specific item of concern ?

Reviving this topic.  Curious if anyone has any further insight as to the food safety hazards relating to bamboo or wooden skewers used for kabob-type products?  Thank you!

Reviving this topic.  Curious if anyone has any further insight as to the food safety hazards relating to bamboo or wooden skewers used for kabob-type products?  Thank you!

Hi Charles, thank you for your response.  My assumption is that the skewers are "treated" somehow by the supplier.  If that is the case, after treatment.

so if these videos is any indication.................zero happens to them once they are shaped

And this article says "sterilized" but that appears to be misleading..........it's just done to release the sugar

So it would appear that they may be ripe with bacteria/yeast and mold  (particularly once you add in the weather (humidity) of where they are produced)

What procedure you choose for food safety hazards of bamboo skewers?

It’s great that you're digging into the food safety hazards of bamboo skewers! The concerns you raised, such as chemical residues, steaming processes, and potential contaminants, are crucial for ensuring product safety. While researching, you might also want to explore whether Bambo Picks follow similar production and treatment methods, as they are often used in direct food contact. Understanding the differences in hygiene standards between skewers for raw vs. cooked foods could also be valuable. Hopefully, more insights on these processes will surface!