Klean Kanteen safety review
Founded 2004 · Chico, California · Part of Think Better Group
Our verdict
AcceptableKlean Kanteen's two products on our cheat sheets are single-material stainless steel, which is the reason they are there: the Kid's Classic 12 oz bottle is single-wall by the brand's own statement, so it has no insulated bottom seal to fail, and its straw is stainless rather than plastic; the Rise lunch box is 18/8 steel with a silicone lid and one plastic part, an optional divider, which the brand's own range copy discloses. Both statements are the brand's own, from its product pages, and we have not tested the steel or read a food-contact test report. The grade is acceptable rather than recommended because nothing the brand holds certifies what is in these products. Klean Kanteen is a Certified B Corporation, which we read on B Lab's directory (certified since September 2012), and it reports Climate Neutral and 1 percent for the Planet membership; each describes the company, not the steel. The record is short and old: in May 2010 Klean Kanteen recalled the Sport Cap 2.0 spout, a black plastic cap, about 1.2 million of them in the US, because the spout could break or crack and become a choking hazard; the company had six reports of spouts breaking in children's mouths and no injuries. The notice does not say which bottles the spout fit; the kids' bottle we list ships with a differently named cap, the Flip Seal Sport Cap, and the recall closed in 2010. We found no newer recall under Klean Kanteen in the CPSC database or in openFDA enforcement data, and no California Proposition 65 notice naming the company, as of 2026-10-16. Two federal cases name the company, both closed, a 2017 patent case and a 2021 civil-rights case, and neither concerns product safety.
- Best for
- A reusable water bottle or lunch box that is steel rather than plastic, with the cap and divider as the only plastic parts to check and the brand saying so up front.
- Skip if
- You want a bottle for a child aged three or under: Klean Kanteen's own page says the Kid's Classic cap is "not intended for children 3 and under," and not for chewing or teething. Or you want the bottle to keep drinks cold: the Kid's Classic is not insulated.
Reviewed by Dan Golden · October 2026
Company facts
- What they make
- water bottles, lunch gear, drinkware, food storage
- Where it's made
- Klean Kanteen designs its products in Chico, California and says they are made in China; its FAQ says no qualified stainless-steel bottle manufacturers exist in the US. The 2010 CPSC notice for its recalled spouts also says "Made in China." Founded in 2004 (the brand marks 20 years of action in 2024) as a family business whose owners were Jeff Cresswell and Michelle Kalberer. In March 2024 Think Better Group, a UK portfolio of sustainable consumer brands, announced its acquisition of Klean Kanteen in partnership with the ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund; Cresswell and Kalberer were described as co-owners alongside Think Better Group, and Gordon Smith became CEO later that month. Klean Kanteen says its steel is 90 percent post-consumer recycled 18/8 (type 304) stainless, with recycled content verified by Intertek.
The company behind Klean Kanteen, Inc.
- Founded
- 2004
- Headquarters
- Chico, California
- Ownership
- Subsidiary
Parent company sets the ceiling on policy.
Safety breakdown
Klean Kanteen, Inc. is based in Chico, California. In March 2024 Think Better Group announced its acquisition of the company in partnership with the ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund; terms were not disclosed. B Lab's directory, read on 2026-10-16, lists Klean Kanteen as a Certified B Corporation since September 2012 with an overall score of 110.9, headquartered in California and operating in China and the United States. The directory's description still calls the company family-owned, which predates the 2024 sale. The company's site also says it has been Climate Neutral Certified since 2020 and has moved to The Climate Label, and that it gives 1 percent of sales through 1% for the Planet; we did not read either organization's register. B Corp, Climate Neutral and 1% for the Planet describe the company or one attribute, not what is in a product, so they are recorded here and are not what the grade rests on. The brand's own pages say its steel is certified 90 percent post-consumer recycled 18/8 stainless with the recycled content verified by Intertek, give the type 304 composition ranges, and describe the bottle and the lunch box as BPA-, BPS-, BPF- and lead-free; we did not see a published food-contact test report. In May 2010 the company recalled the Sport Cap 2.0 water bottle spouts, sold from April 2009 to April 2010 (CPSC recall 10-218, with Health Canada); the remedy was a free replacement. We found no later recall under Klean Kanteen in the CPSC recall database and no recall in openFDA's drug, food or device enforcement data naming the company; the openFDA matches for "Klean" are unrelated bowel-preparation drugs. We found no 60-day notice under California's Proposition 65 naming Klean Kanteen as an alleged violator or its products as the source as of 2026-10-16. CourtListener searches on 2026-10-16 under the trade name return two federal dockets that name the company as a defendant. Staychock v. Klean Kanteen, Inc. (E.D. Cal. 2:17-cv-01012, filed 2017-05-15, terminated 2018-08-22) was a patent infringement case. Estevez v. Klean Kanteen, Inc. (S.D.N.Y. 1:21-cv-08830, filed 2021-10-28, terminated 2021-12-17) was an Americans with Disabilities Act civil-rights case. Neither is a product-safety or labeling matter. The company was the plaintiff in a 2016 trademark action, Klean Kanteen, Inc. v. Bean Logik, LLC (W.D. Wash. 3:16-cv-05047). In 2024 lawsuits over lead in Stanley tumblers mentioned Klean Kanteen only as a competitor.
Klean Kanteen on SafeMama
6 products reviewed · 3 lists · 1 SafeMama Pick
- 6
- products reviewed
- 1
- SafeMama Picks
- 0
- we'd skip
- 3
- best-of lists
Klean Kanteen, Inc. is based in Chico, California. In March 2024 Think Better Group announced its acquisition of the company in partnership with the ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund; terms were not disclosed. B Lab's directory, read on 2026-10-16, lists Klean Kanteen as a Certified B Corporation since September 2012 with an overall score of 110.9, headquartered in California and operating in China and the United States. The directory's description still calls the company family-owned, which predates the 2024 sale. The company's site also says it has been Climate Neutral Certified since 2020 and has moved to The Climate Label, and that it gives 1 percent of sales through 1% for the Planet; we did not read either organization's register. B Corp, Climate Neutral and 1% for the Planet describe the company or one attribute, not what is in a product, so they are recorded here and are not what the grade rests on. The brand's own pages say its steel is certified 90 percent post-consumer recycled 18/8 stainless with the recycled content verified by Intertek, give the type 304 composition ranges, and describe the bottle and the lunch box as BPA-, BPS-, BPF- and lead-free; we did not see a published food-contact test report. In May 2010 the company recalled the Sport Cap 2.0 water bottle spouts, sold from April 2009 to April 2010 (CPSC recall 10-218, with Health Canada); the remedy was a free replacement. We found no later recall under Klean Kanteen in the CPSC recall database and no recall in openFDA's drug, food or device enforcement data naming the company; the openFDA matches for "Klean" are unrelated bowel-preparation drugs. We found no 60-day notice under California's Proposition 65 naming Klean Kanteen as an alleged violator or its products as the source as of 2026-10-16. CourtListener searches on 2026-10-16 under the trade name return two federal dockets that name the company as a defendant. Staychock v. Klean Kanteen, Inc. (E.D. Cal. 2:17-cv-01012, filed 2017-05-15, terminated 2018-08-22) was a patent infringement case. Estevez v. Klean Kanteen, Inc. (S.D.N.Y. 1:21-cv-08830, filed 2021-10-28, terminated 2021-12-17) was an Americans with Disabilities Act civil-rights case. Neither is a product-safety or labeling matter. The company was the plaintiff in a 2016 trademark action, Klean Kanteen, Inc. v. Bean Logik, LLC (W.D. Wash. 3:16-cv-05047). In 2024 lawsuits over lead in Stanley tumblers mentioned Klean Kanteen only as a competitor.
A brand tier is a summary, never a verdict — always read the product page. How tiers are calculated
Where this brand appears
- Our PickStainless Steel Sippy Cups: What the Lid and Spout Are Made OfKlean Kanteen 10oz Kid's Straw Cup (June) · updated Nov 2026
- ListedSafer lunch gear cheat sheetKlean Kanteen Rise Food Box - Meal - Reusable Food Container for Meal Prep, Lunch & More - Stainless Steel Construction - Dishwasher Safe - Autumn Glaze, 34 oz · updated Oct 2026
- ListedCheat Sheet: Less-plastic sippy cups, bottles and water bottlesKlean Kanteen 12oz Kid's Classic Water Bottle with Flip Seal Sport Cap and Straw - Butterflies · updated Oct 2026
Klean Kanteen products we track
Klean Kanteen 10oz Kid's Straw Cup (June)
Manufacturer statement checked · source
Manufacturer statement checked · source
Klean Kanteen 12oz Kid's Classic Water Bottle with Flip Seal Sport Cap and Straw - Butterflies
Manufacturer statement checked · source
Klean Kanteen 12oz Kid's Classic Water Bottle with Flip Seal Sport Cap and Straw - Race Cars
Manufacturer statement checked · source
Klean Kanteen Rise Food Box - Lunch - Reusable Food Container for Meal Prep, Lunch & More - Stainless Steel Construction - Dishwasher Safe - Sea Spray, 23 oz
Manufacturer statement checked · source
We couldn't confirm a live listing for this exact product — this opens a filtered search of merchants for the same model.
Manufacturer statement checked · source
Recall history
No recalls found. We checked CPSC and FDA recall databases as of October 19, 2026 and found no recalls for this brand. Recall databases update continuously — if you own a recalled product, the official notice is always the source to follow.