Safety of clays and glazes for wares containing food or liquids

We are often asked is this clay or glaze safe for use with food. Unfortunately, it is not an easy question to answer as there are many things to consider.

There are potential hazards in the clay, there are possible materials in a glaze that could leach out, some clays have an open and porous structure so if not glazed appropriately would be prone to bacterial contamination. The day-to-day use of dinnerware must also be considered, glazed wares need to be able to survive the dishwasher, the rough and tumble of stacking and the scratching of knives and forks.

The above creates so many variables, which is why all suppliers would find it impossible to say whether a certain clay or glaze is food safe, and much depends on the producer.

For this reason, it is up to the maker of pottery to make their wares a safe as possible. We at Hot Clay will provide as much information as possible with each product, but if you intend to make with selling in mind then you would be best advised to get your wares tested, see link.

https://www.lucideon.com/testing-characterization/ceramic-testing-analysis

For great advice on clay, glaze and food safety in ceramics we recommend

https://digitalfire.com/article/are+your+glazes+food+safe+or+are+they+leachable%3F