Setting the Table for Change

With recent news reports focusing on harmful substances in children’s products, parents are now more safety-conscious than ever — especially when choosing tableware for their children. Consumers are also continuing to express a growing interest in “greener” recycled products. Fortunately, there are several brands offering durable, non-toxic tableware that is produced using recycled corn, melamine and stainless steel, in colorful and interesting shapes that are particularly appealing to children. Set a place for these tasty dining innovations from Oré (SugerBooger^®), Dandelion, Ginkgo and Zak Designs!

SugarBooger Tableware Makes Meals Look Delicious!

Coming full circle has new meaning with products from Oré, a company whose founder and president, Lisa Lowe, took inspiration from her childhood play store to initially create Living Goods™, from her beloved Bull Terrier to design the Ore Pet™ line, and from the birth of her child for the fabulous baby products collection, SugarBooger.

The focus on fun and function has been successful for over 20 years and grows with SugarBooger tableware. Table settings in bright shades, speckled with confetti-like bits of rainbow colors, make any meal festive. Add to the menu the cafeteria-style 10.5” x 8” divided food tray, 6-ounce cup, fork and spoon and it’s a buffet celebration! Three different base colors personalize these durable tray sets, constructed from non-toxic, lead-free, post-industrial recycled melamine. All for an appetizing $20 SRP per tray set.

For 50-plus years, recycled melamine has been used to manufacture attractive and practical plastic dishware, judged safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other organizations. While product warnings inform consumers to discard melamine dishware with any surface damage and to refrain from cooking or otherwise heating it in ovens or microwaves, normal cleansing of melamine dishware in a dishwasher is considered safe.

Environmentally-aware consumers also appreciate the fact that SugarBooger tableware is manufactured from recycled melamine that will not end up in a landfill. All melamine items from SugarBooger are lighter and more durable than ceramic (but not unbreakable), and are safe for dishwashers but not for microwave or conventional ovens.

For all the dish, check out www.oreoriginals.com

Dandelion Picks Corn for Natural Tableware

Ah, versatile corn! Man has roasted its ears, ground it for bread, sweetened it for pudding, popped it for movie watching, heaped it in silos for animal fodder, and fermented it into alcohol and, more recently, biofuel. It’s only natural that processing it into corn plastic for tableware should be next!

Natural Tableware from Dandelion - Earth-Friendly Goods, a division of Re-Think It, Inc., has set the table for serving dinner on corn. Owners Craig and Amy Shumway have envisioned fresh ideas for 20 years in their family-owned and focused business ventures. They understand concerns over toxins in products that little children touch and put in their mouths. The result is naturally BPA-free, Phthalate-free, and PVC-free corn-plastic utensils and dinnerware for babies and toddlers. These products are safe and fun for children, appealing to their consumer parents, and praised by groups such as Pregnancy & Newborn Buyers Guide, The National Parenting Center, Parenting Media and PTPA Media.

Natural Tableware packaging is consumer friendly, too, with bowls and divided plates wrapped in two-packs and utensils in multi-packs. Beyond being child safe, they are reusable, but should be hand-washed rather than cycled through the dishwasher.

Interested? Pop over to the corn creations at www.dandelionforbaby.com

Into the Mouths of Babes: Stainless Utensils from Ginkgo

Being born with the proverbial silver spoon in the mouth isn’t necessary in order to afford and appreciate quality stainless utensils from the Gingko^® Panda-Babies collection. Marketed to parents, but sized for children, these utensils are a delight to both! Panda-Babies stainless utensils are the products of Gingko International, Ltd., and the W.S. Helmick Stainless Collections, founded by Wes and Janet Helmick in 1977 to bring original designs to market.

Three products are available: a single, long-handled baby-feeding spoon; a three-piece toddler set with a baby-feeding spoon, and fork and spoon pair for transition to self-feeding; and a three-piece child set with a knife, fork, and spoon. Manufactured in polished stainless steel, the utensils withstand both unexpected treatment from child-sized hands and the rigors of the dishwasher. They are also durable and attractive enough to last through multiple children and become family keepsakes. Retailing from $9 to $20, they make perfect gifts for new babies or families with multiple children.

No need to fork out too much for these beautiful utensils! See the variety of products available from www.ginkgoint.com

Zak! Confetti Tableware is Ready to Party!

Indoors or out, a table set with Confetti Tableware from Zak Designs makes one proclaim, “Let’s party!” This versatile, recycled melamine product line puts the colors of the rainbow on the family table and in the busy kitchen.

The brand continues its ongoing commitment to environment-friendly products with recycled melamine manufactured in a patent-pending process. The result is an assortment of retro confetti-splattered dinnerware, accent pieces and kitchenware in mix-and-match colors or single-color settings.

For children, the Confetti collection’s bright colors and durability of bowls, divided plates, and tumblers make mealtimes fun. The covered butter dish, salt and peppershakers and napkin holder coordinate with the practicality of stain resistance and dishwasher-safe cleaning. For working magic in the kitchen, Confetti kitchenware includes mixing pieces, serving pieces, bowls, cupcake trays, egg trays and more.

For a parade of festive new dining designs, start party planning today at www.zak.com