Zojirushi
Insulation-first, not plastic-first: the SlickSteel interior is excellent, but the drink still flows out through a plastic mouthpiece in the flip-open lid, so every sip crosses plastic. Lids are BPA-free plastic with silicone gaskets, and some interiors add a nonstick coating. We rate the mug minimal-contact because the plastic sits right at the drinking surface - this is a brand that tolerates plastic where it matters most for a plastic-free buyer, not one that designs it out.
How clear are their specs?
Names the SlickSteel interior and admits the lid is BPA-free plastic with a plastic mouthpiece, but leans on "BPA-free" and doesn't fully characterize the optional nonstick interior coating.
Lead testing disclosure
Zojirushi's blog makes a generic claim that "FDA standard testing methods found no detectable levels of PFOA" for its SlickSteel interior, but this doesn't name a lab, cite lead/cadmium numbers, or point to a dedicated safety page - and doesn't address lead at all. No public Zojirushi response was found to the sealing-dot lead construction issue documented industry-wide (e.g. Stanley, YETI) by independent testers, despite some reader-raised concerns about Zojirushi jars.
- manufacturer https://www.zojirushi.com/blog/design-explained-our-slicksteel-interiors-and-nonstick-coatings/ generic PFOA testing claim, no lead/cadmium data or named lab
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