On my Epoxy Suppliers page I used to state which epoxies advertised as “food safe”. I removed this, because it is confusing. A lot of people are asking the question: “is epoxy food safe when used in woodworking?”

The bottom line: All fully cured epoxy can come into contact with food in an incidental and short term manner.

You should probably not use epoxy on cutting boards, mugs, or bowls (that hold liquid).

Roderick Kabel from WiseBond Epoxy Systems helped me further understand this. Please read his detailed article: Is Epoxy Food Safe?

Once epoxy is fully cured for 30 days, it is an inert plastic and should be fine for incidental exposure to food. It is not antimicrobial. Epoxy is not safe to ingest (liquid or cured). Do not cut on or prepare raw food on epoxy surfaces.

From WiseBond “Is Epoxy Food Safe?”

Roderick said that a lot of manufactures list themselves as “food safe” and are leaning on FDA Title 21 CFR 175.300, which is vague and difficult to understand. It details that food can come into contact with epoxy for an incidental and short term manner. Companies that are compliant with CFR 175.300 would list themselves as “food safe”, which is just for incidental exposure to food. “Food safe” is not the same thing as “food grade”. Believe me, you don’t want to be eating tiny chips of epoxy that end up in your food from a cutting board.

Also consider that epoxy is primarily made from bisphenol A, also known as “BPA”. Many people today aren’t drinking out of BPA water bottles because they are known to leach toxins into the water. Sure, it takes a long time, but it is something to consider.

Having said this, I do make wooden bowls with epoxy drips rimmed on the very top. I let my son eat out these bowls, despite them having a tiny bit of possible food/epoxy exposure on the top. I feel like they are safe enough for him to use.

Previous in oak

Batman CNC Joinery Box in Redwood - CNC Woodworking

Next in oak

Black Epoxy and Oak Box