Comment by vages
Perhaps I’m naive, but buying from an IKEA (in Norway) or another big store feels less risky than buying something handmade.
Several people are involved in making every product at IKEA. At least one of them must be an expert in compliance. They can expect scrutiny and product recalls, fines and bad sales if they’re found out.
The one person making the hand-made spoon does not necessarily know all the environmental regulations that should be followed.
I had a ceramic coffee mug that I loved and used very regularly. I bought it at a fair from a local potter and it had a very unique glaze, lots of blues and greens.
A friend who is a potter saw me drinking out of it and said that the glaze looked suspicious. He said it looked loaded with heavy metals, and that I should probably not use it or at least get it tested.
At the time I knew a guy who worked in a lab that tested certain substances for hazardous materials. He was intrigued and brought it in to work one day, and later texted me asking if I wanted it back, because it was very likely leaching cobalt, lead, and cadmium, and it was probably also very mildly radioactive.
I feel much better drinking out of mugs from IKEA and other big name stores.