EU countries approve ban on BPA in food packaging – Euractiv

The European Commission said on June 12 that EU member states support a proposal to ban the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food and drink packaging to protect citizens’ health and ensure the “highest food safety standards.”

The European Commission explained in a press release that the BPA ban will apply to food contact materials, such as coatings used on metal cans, as well as consumer products such as kitchen utensils, cutlery, plastic beverage bottles and water coolers.

This decision is based on Scientific advice The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded in April 2023 that current levels of exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) “have potential harmful effects on the immune system.”

EFSA’s tolerable daily intake (TDI) – the amount of a substance in food that is safe for humans – is 0.2 nanograms per kilogram of body weight (ng/kg), 20,000 times lower than the interim TDI of 4 micrograms per kilogram of body weight recommended in its previous opinion (2015).

BPA has been widely used in food and beverage packaging since the 1960s. However, since the late 1990s, people have begun to suspect that the substance can migrate into food and cause adverse health effects.

in 2011The EU bans the use of polycarbonate in polycarbonate baby bottles. In 2018, the EU further restricted the use of polycarbonate in baby and children’s drinking bottles and containers, paints and coatings.

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France and Sweden have introduced restrictions on BPA products.

The Commission explained that the new measures follow a public consultation launched in February last year and extensive discussions with all Member States.

European Commission proposes to ban the use of bisphenol A in food packaging

The European Commission has launched a consultation on a draft proposal to phase out the use of the controversial chemical bisphenol A in food contact materials, including plastic boxes, protective coatings on cans and food processing equipment.

The ban will be formally adopted after a “review period by the European Parliament and the Council” and will come into force at the end of 2024. The transition period will be between 18 and 36 months.

The Commission noted that “limited exceptions and transition periods will apply where safe alternatives are not available, provided these substitutes do not pose a risk to consumers”.

“This will allow industry to adjust and avoid potential disruption to the food chain,” the report concluded.

(Editing by Angelo Di Mambro and Rajneesh Singh)

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