Entering into force on January 20, a measure adopted by the European Commission prohibits the use of bisphenol A in materials in contact with food, due to its potentially harmful impact on health.
- Since January 20, bisphenol A must no longer be present in materials in contact with food, such as can linings, reusable plastic bottles and kitchen utensils.
- This ban also applies to other bisphenols harmful to the reproductive and endocrine systems.
- The regulations provide for an 18-month phase-out period to allow industries to adapt.
CDs, receipts, glasses, cables, printing inks… Bisphenols are present in several objects used every day. The latter are compounds used in the industrial manufacture of plastics, as polycarbonate monomers or as additives in epoxy resins. Among the best known, we find bisphenol A (BPA). “Food contributes to more than 80% of the population’s exposure to bisphenol A. The main sources of dietary exposure to bisphenols are canned products and polycarbonate water bottles”noted the Ministry of Health.
Cans, bottles, utensils: bisphenol A must no longer come into contact with food
This substance, which has the capacity to migrate from its containers to the food or drink in contact with it and can thus be ingested by the human body, has endocrine properties. Clearly, it undermines the action of estrogens by attaching to the alpha and beta receptors of these hormones. By affecting the functions of estrogens, androgenic hormones, prolactin, insulin, or even thyroid hormones, BPA would lead to the appearance of reproductive disorders (infertility), metabolism (obesity, diabetes), thyroid dysfunctions or more hormone-dependent cancers (breast, prostate). Another suspected effect: the occurrence of cardiovascular pathologies.
Faced with these worrying data, the use of bisphenol A has been prohibited, since January 1, 2015, in the composition of food containers, such as baby bottles and similar products. Mid-December, the European Commission announced that it had adopted a ban on bisphenol A in several materials in contact with food. This means that this compound, having “potentially harmful effects on the immune system”, “will not be allowed in products that come into contact with food or drink, such as the lining of metal cans, reusable plastic drink bottles, dispensers water and other kitchen utensils. The ban, which came into force on January 20, also concerns other bisphenols harmful to the reproductive and endocrine systems.
A transition period of 18 months is planned
For most products there is a phase-out period of 18 months, with very limited exceptions where no alternative exists, to give the industry time to adapt and avoid any disruption of the food chain. “Maintaining high standards of food safety in the European Union and protecting citizens is one of the Commission’s main priorities. Today’s ban, which is based on robust scientific advice, will protect our consumers against harmful chemicals when they may come into contact with their food and drinks”, declared Oliver VarhelyiCommissioner responsible for animal health and welfare.
