French Recall of Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Fry Pans: Your Questions Answered.
Recently, the Direction Departementale de la Protection des Populations (DDPP) of Isère, issued a recall notice for our Black Carbon Steel Fry Pan after its testing suggested that our product exceeded their limits for chromium, arsenic and iron when subject to a High Acidity Foodstuff Test, a test that subjects the pan to boiling a highly acidic compound for 2 hours. This decision is currently under appeal, as we believe the testing methodology applied by the DDPP of Isère represented intentional misuse of the product and does not follow the testing standards as defined by France’s DGCCRF (the French equivalent to the FDA) and EU regulatory bodies.
By its nature, all steel contains substances that could be considered dangerous or harmful. That is why the DGCCRF and EU use independent third-party testing labs to guarantee that both our seasoned and unseasoned completed pans, along with the raw steel used to manufacture our products, meet these stringent safety standards.
All our raw materials are sourced from France, and occasionally Germany, and are delivered to us with a certificate for food contact suitability following EU regulations. Furthermore, all raw materials and completed products comply with all stringent EU food safety standards as well.
Each independent test of our product by IANESCO Laboratories found that the presence of harmful substances in both our seasoned and unseasoned pans are far below maximum permitted levels when proper use instructions were followed. The results from the IANESCO test found that both our seasoned and unseasoned pans have less than 0.002 mg/kg of chromium (lowest DGCCRF limit = 0.025 mg/kg) and have less than 0.002 mg/kg of arsenic (lowest DGCCRF limit = 0.002 mg/kg) and less than 0.25 mg/kg of iron (lowest DGCCRF limit = 40 mg/kg).
If our Black Carbon Steel Fry Pans did not pass this independent, third-party testing, neither French nor European authorities would have permitted Matfer Bourgeat to sell them.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Are my Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel pans safe to use and cook in?
Yes. Yes, you are safe to continue using your Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Fry Pan, following the use and care instructions which state that you should properly season your carbon steel pan and not cook acidic foods in your pan.
All Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel cookware fully comply with the stringent food safety standards set forth by the French governing body DGCCRF, which is part of the French Ministry for the Economy Industry and Digital Affairs. (Equivalent to the USA’s FDA).
- If Matfer Bourgeat pans are safe, why did they get recalled in France?
The DDPP of Isère used an inappropriate testing methodology that was inconsistent with the procedure established by the DGCCRF and the EU. While the DGCCRF and the EU require cookware products to be tested pursuant to their intended use and take stated use restrictions into account, the DDPP of Isère test did not. It is worth noting that the DGCCRF explicitly advises against using black carbon steel material with acidic foods.
As we state explicitly on the use instructions on our Black Carbon Steel Pans and in our online resources, there are two essential instructions that were intentionally ignored by the DDPP of Isère: (1) All pans should be properly seasoned before use and (2) Do not cook acidic foods, at any temperature level, with our carbon black steel products.
DDPP of Isère only tested Matfer Bourget Black Carbon Steel Fry Pans that are manufactured in Isère, within its jurisdiction, and therefore, we believe that our carbon steel pans were the only pans they had tested. For context, Isère is 1 of 101 Departments in France, with a population equal to about 2% of France’s total population (equivalent in size to the State of Vermont).
That is why every Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Pan includes explicit instructions to properly season the pans before use and avoid acidic foods in their use. We believe that products should only be subjected to safety testing for instructed and reasonable uses. This is also the reason why DGCCRF explicitly advises against using black carbon steel material with acidic foods.
While we continue to appeal the DDPP of Isere’s decision, we will also be reviewing our care and use instructions to enhance customer safety by making sure everyone who purchases and uses our pans uses them only for their intended purposes.
- Are my Black Carbon Steel pans recalled in the United States or North America?
No. There is no recall of this product or any other Matfer Bourgeat product in the United States, North America or anywhere outside of the EU.
- Have there been any negative health effects reported from using the pans?
No. We have not received any claims of injury or illness associated with use of our black carbon steel fry pans. We continue to stand by our black carbon steel fry pans and believe that they present no harm when used properly and in accordance with reasonable usage and care of the product.
- I’m still confused about what happened in France. Is there a simpler way to explain what happened?
To try to explain this by analogy, imagine an automaker developed a new diesel truck with explicit use instructions that no unleaded gasoline be used in this diesel engine. The US NHTSA and other safety groups only test the truck with diesel fuel and require that this truck have a warning against using unleaded gasoline.
However, the state where this car is manufactured decided to test this new truck by putting unleaded gasoline in the fuel tank (which someone could do in a worst-case scenario), causing the new truck to fail their state-specific new safety test that only applies to vehicles manufactured in that state.
That’s essentially what occurred when the DDPP of Isère decided to test the Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Fry Pans using an improper test method.
- Do you think this is a wider problem with all black carbon steel from many manufacturers?
We do not believe there is a problem with black carbon steel. We are proud to make our pans in France and be subject to the EU, and France’s, famously stringent standards for product quality, environmental sustainability, and food safety. There are lots of other excellent manufacturers on the market who we are confident comply with all the same rules and regulations, and have the same passion for quality, that we do.
We have faith in French federal and EU food safety regulations, which are comprehensive, product specific and not based on one test contrary to real-life use conditions.
- How can you tell if you have a pan from the affected group?
All Matfer Bourgeat black carbon steel fry pans for sale continue to fully comply with the stringent food standards set forth by the DGCCRF and the EU and may be used safely. There is no distinction between pans in the “affected group” and all others sold.
- How often are Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel pans tested?
Pursuant to DGCCRF and EU requirements, our pans are tested every time our manufacturing changes or the regulations change. When we made changes to our model, beginning in 2021, we went through a thorough round of testing per national DGCCRF standards.
We passed all third-party, independent DGCCRF and EU testing, which are based on testing parameters mandated to manufacturers, and confirmed by our independent testing partners. This means that they are independent and registered with the DGCCRF to provide this compliance testing based on the items that we provide, along with the use instructions.
- Where does the metal come from? Is the steel itself made in France or does it come in from abroad?
All our steel is EU-sourced (mostly France and occasionally Germany) and passes strict EU regulations for manufacturing in food contact environments.
All steel alloys sourced for cookware manufacture have substances like arsenic and chromium in them. Recognizing that steel alloy has these substances, DGCCRF sets a limit on the amount allowed in steel alloy products that contact food.
The DGCCRF requires assurances from the independent testing labs that:
- The composition of the steel used meets the specifications set forth in Fiche MCDA sheet No. 4
- The different elements of the steel do not migrate beyond certain limits into foods.
Both our EU-sourced steel and our finished products pass these independent tests. These standards are amongst the most stringent in the world.
In fact, both seasoned and unseasoned Matfer Bourgeat black steel pans underwent thorough testing, utilizing artificial tap water as the recommended simulant for non-acidic foodstuffs, and both pans had levels of chromium, arsenic, and iron well below the lowest limits set by the DGCCRF.
- Was this a contaminated batch of raw material? Is Iron, Chromium and Arsenic present in all carbon steel, were they just out of tolerance in this batch?
None of our raw material is contaminated. All our carbon steel raw material comes from the EU, and all our steel vendors must pass their own EU regulations in order to sell steel for food contact manufacturing.
All steel alloys are measured for levels of impurities. Iron, chromium, and arsenic are some of the many elements that steel products may contain and are tested for by the EU.
Our vendors provide those certifications to us when they deliver raw steel allow to us. No batches of steel purchased by us have been out of tolerance.
All manufacturers making pans in France and buying steel in the EU are subject to these same regulations.
- What procedures/changes are you making to ensure this doesn’t happen in the future?
We stand by our product. All Matfer Bourgeat black carbon steel cookware continues to fully comply with the stringent food standards set forth by the DGCCRF and the EU. That said, we are always reviewing our products and procedures, looking for ways we can improve what we do and the products we deliver to you.
While we continue to appeal the DDPP of Isere’s decision, we are reviewing our care and use instructions to enhance customer safety by making sure everyone who purchases and uses our pans uses them only for their intended purposes.