The recall covers ShoreBreak trays sold in nine provinces since May 2025. Researchers say that after 180 days in seawater, the trays had lost little of their mass but had broken into a median 2.4 million fragments each. The company said the recall followed the findings, published on Friday by a Philippine research partnership.
The team tested 120 trays made from a blend of plant-based PLA and PBAT, a compostable plastic. After six months, 83% of the trays’ original mass remained, the paper reported. The authors said their results challenge the product’s claim that it breaks down in coastal water within 90 days.
Millions of fragments
Researchers placed the trays in seawater tanks near Cebu and exposed them to daylight and regular water movement. The water averaged 29°C (84°F), close to conditions in the region. Using microscopy and polymer analysis, the team counted particles smaller than 5 millimetres (0.2 inches); most were far smaller.
Manuel Carrión, the study’s lead author, said the fragments were not proof of harm to people, and the team had not tested health effects. But he called the result a warning about where packaging goes after disposal. “The tray does not disappear in the sea. It breaks into pieces that are harder to collect,” he said.
The researchers did not claim that ShoreBreak trays caused a measured rise in pollution on a particular beach. Their tests were controlled laboratory trials, and the paper says waves, sunlight and burial in sand could change how the material breaks down. The authors called for longer tests in varied coastal conditions.
Recall reaches Cebu shops
The trays were sold to food stalls, caterers and small retailers, often for takeaway meals. The company estimated the affected stock’s retail value at ₱31 million (about €490,000). Its recall notice asks buyers to stop using the trays and return unused packs for a refund; it said no food-safety complaints had been reported.
Tricia Thum-Gao, a company representative, said ShoreBreak had passed tests for breakdown in industrial composting, but that those tests did not establish how it would behave in seawater. “We are withdrawing the entire batch while we review the coastal claim and the testing behind it,” she said. The company did not say when replacement stock might be available.
Sofia Phillips-Morris, a materials scientist not involved in the research, said the gap between composting and marine conditions is important: products that break down in managed facilities may persist in open water. She urged buyers to check disposal instructions rather than assume a plant-based label means a product will quickly disappear at sea.
The study was produced by the Visayas Coastal Materials Compact, a partnership linking researchers and packaging laboratories across the central Philippines. The group plans to test other disposable food containers next year. Its authors say the recall gives manufacturers a direct reason to verify environmental claims under the conditions their products are likely to encounter.
