An Auckland family say their cutlery "tastes" so bad they've refused to keep using it.
Susan Whitmore purchased a Living & Co cutlery set from The Warehouse for $20.
But she soon noticed the spoons had "this really gross metallicy taste". On one occasion, after licking a spoon that had been sitting in mayonnaise, she says the metallic flavour stayed in her mouth for "a couple of hours".
Susan took her concerns to Fair Go, worried that the metallic taste was a sign of something worse — like adverse health effects. She also questioned whether the cutlery was stainless steel as advertised.
Fair Go also carried out an informal test within its team. Garth Bray said he felt like he was "licking a battery", Alistar Kata thought she could "definitely taste metallic", while Hadyn Jones couldn't taste anything at all.
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Fair Go enlisted the help of a metal expert who could provide a chemical analysis of the spoons. The results confirmed the metal is safe to use.
The spoons are manufactured from magnetic stainless steel with a 430 grading — often used to make cost-effective cutlery. This grade isn't as resistant to general corrosion as other non-magnetic types used in higher quality utensils, but according to the report, it's fit for purpose.
A spokesperson for The Warehouse told Fair Go all products are tested before being put on the shelf and meet the relevant safety requirements. The company has offered Susan a refund.
So why do they taste so bad to some people? Fair Go brought the matter to the attention of Nazimah Hamid, who specialises in food and sensory science at the Auckland University of Technology.
Hamid said when it comes to flavours like metal, most people would say it's a 'taste', but actually, it's a smell.
"Not the smell you do when you sniffing something, because that's orthonasal smell. This is retronasal smell whereby you put something in your mouth and all the molecules get up to the back of your nose, and that's where you have your 'olfactory receptors' and you are able to perceive metallic flavour."
She said this is especially true for women, with a study showing women have 43% more cells in their olfactory bulbs compared to men and are therefore more sensitive to smells than men.
Hamid said lower-quality stainless steel spoons may have a noticeable metallic flavour to some people because they are reactive, meaning they contain a high amount of iron or other metals that can react with acidic foods and liquids.
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