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NTC EPA ORDERS JOYCE CHEN, INC. TO STOP SALE OF CUTTING BOARDS THAT MAKE UNPROVEN PESTICIDAL CLAIMS

Release Date: 07/01/97
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EPA on Friday, June 27 ordered Joyce Chen Inc. of Billerica, Mass., to immediately stop selling and distributing 12 unregistered kitchen cutting board products that make pesticidal claims. The products include the "Joyce Chen Anti-Bacterial Cutting Surface" and "The Board of Health^" Anti-Bacterial Cutting Board."
The cutting boards carry a label claiming they prevent the growth of commonly occurring household food-poisoning organisms, including salmonella and E. coli, and reduce the danger of bacterial contamination. The cutting boards have been treated with Bacteron, a pesticide that protects the products from odor-causing bacteria, but that has not been proved to be effective against organisms that can cause disease in humans.

Any company intending to sell a product with pesticidal claims must prove that the product meets the claims as stated on its label. Joyce Chen Inc. has not proven that these cutting boards prevent the growth of food-borne illnesses or other bacteria as their labels claim. Joyce Chen Inc. has not formally sent EPA the required testing data, a list of active ingredients or other essential scientific data that would allow a formal determination of risk and subsequent federal approval as required by law.

"We will not allow the public’s health to be jeapordized by potentially false claims," said Steve Herman, EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "Before a company can legally claim a product protects people from disease-causing germs, it must first prove it is safe and effective for consumer use."

Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA registers all pesticides and pesticide products for use in and around homes. Because their labels claim the products prevent, destroy or repel pests, these Joyce Chen Inc. products are considered pesticides and must be registered with EPA.

EPA will continue to investigate products marketed with false or misleading claims of public health protection from infectious bacteria and viruses. The Agency has issued orders to stop the sale of 3M’s O-Cel-O sponges and a variety of houseware products manufactured by Ecko that were distributed along with public health protection claims. EPA also reached a settlement with Hasbro Inc. preventing the toy manufacturer from claiming that a line of Playskool toys treated with an antibacterial pesticide protect children from infectious diseases caused by bacteria.

Consumers can continue to use Joyce Chen cutting boards, but should wash the boards in soap and hot water after each use to guard against the potential spread of germs. The following 12 Joyce Chen products are affected by this action:

* Joyce Chen Anti-Bacterial Round Cutting Surface
* Joyce Chen Anti-Bacterial Party Cutting Surface
* Joyce Chen Anti-Bacterial Small Cutting Surface
* Joyce Chen Anti-Bacterial Large Cutting Surface
* Joyce Chen Anti-Bacterial Pastry Cutting Surface
* The Board of Health Antibacterial Jumbo Cutting Board
* The Board of Health Antibacterial Round Pizza Cutting Board
* The Board of Health Antibacterial Large Cutting Board
* The Board of Health Antibacterial Medium Cutting Board
* The Board of Health Antibacterial Small Cutting Board
* The Board of Health Antibacterial Over The Sink Cutting Board
* The Board of Health Antibacterial Paddle Style Cutting Board


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