Because many coffee shops don’t allow customers to bring their own cup, unlike Starbucks

More than 125 health experts ensure your glasses are safe with good hygiene (REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis)

Starbucks just started allowing customers to use its reusable cups for in-car and mobile orders, a move aimed at helping the coffee giant reduce waste from single-use cups.

The company said this change makes it the first national coffee retailer to accept reusable cups for all types of orders. Starbucks customers who ordered from the chain’s coffee shops could now have drinks delivered to their own cups.

But at a time when reusable water bottles are so trendy that people line up for hours for some brands, and when water bottle filling stations are proliferating, some may wonder: Why not? Are there more cafes offering alternatives to disposable cups?

One reason is companies’ concerns about hygiene, a common problem with reusable food and drink containers that has been accentuated by the coronavirus pandemic. Early in the pandemic, many locations, including Starbucks, temporarily stopped accepting reusable containers, prompting more than 125 health experts to sign a letter supporting the use of personal containers.

The letter, which cited research, noted that reusable cups could be safe as long as basic hygiene practices were followed. But even though many pandemic restrictions have since been lifted, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to take your own reusable cup to any coffee shop and have it refilled.

“Food safety is given as a reason for this, but from a risk perspective it’s not a reasonable reason,” said Benjamin Chapman, head of the department of agricultural and human sciences at North Carolina State University. “The risks are very, very low,” he said.

Canteens must balance the ecological trend with sanitation concerns and various legal provisions at the local and state level (Illustrative Image Infobae)

Businesses that sell food and drink, including bars, have long debated how to make sure reusable items are clean, Chapman said.

“When it’s a reusable cup, it’s not under a company’s control and they don’t know in advance what someone put in the cup,” he said.

Some locations may also not package reusable products due to local or state health department regulations. The federal food code doesn’t include many specific parameters about reusable products, he said, meaning standards can vary by location.

Even if local laws allow it and customers arrive with cups claiming to be clean, some businesses may still worry about being held liable if a reusable container makes someone sick.

“The biggest concern is how comfortable industry workers are with cleaning and disinfecting something they have no control over when it comes to glass,” he says.

With packaged disposable cups, retailers have greater guarantees of cleanliness. And unlike disposable cups, personal cups come in all shapes and sizes. Some may have ridges or other features that make them difficult to clean thoroughly.

A pioneer in environmental responsibility, Starbucks invites customers to help reduce waste by using their own cups in their purchases (Illustrative Image Infobae)

After temporarily suspending the use of personal cups at coffee shops during the pandemic, Starbucks is again allowing people to bring their own containers in 2021. But it has instituted multiple measures to address potential hygiene issues.

For example, the coffee chain only accepts personal cups that the staff believes are clean. Workers also place orders through a contactless process that, in part, involves placing the reusable cup inside a ceramic mug.

The best practice for any consumer who wants to use a reusable cup is to wash the containers at home first, Chapman said.

While some coffee retailers may still be concerned about people bringing in contaminated containers that could make them sick, he said the potential hygiene risks related to reusable cups are generally low.

Coffee is not a great source of nutrients for pathogens. Drinks containing milk or non-dairy milk may spoil, but it is unlikely that you would not clean the cup because it would be disgusting or smelly. “We are not aware of any foodborne pathogens transmitted through reusable cups,” she added.

The Washington Post

Allyson Chiu is a climate solutions reporter for the Washington Post. She previously covered wellness issues and worked nights on the Post’s Morning Mix team.
2024-01-12 18:39:00
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