Industry backs bisphenol A safety in can linings

Food production daily: "The use of bisphenol A (BPA) in can linings is both safe and vital for food protection, a host of industry bodies and companies have said in rejecting the conclusions of a report calling for a ban on the chemical.

The North American Metal Packaging Alliance (NAMPA), the American Chemistry Council (ACC), as well as food giants such as Del Monte, Campbell and General Mills have dismissed a study by the US-based Consumer Union that claimed potentially hazardous levels of BPA were leaching into foods from the epoxy linings of cans.

Regulatory approval

All the groups and firms, including Del Monte Foods, emphasised that BPA has been confirmed as safe for use in food contact materials by the world’s major regulatory agencies – the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) among them. Both EFSA and the UK Food Standards Agency told FoodProductionDaily.com in June 2009 there were no plans to re-examine their position on BPA.

Nonetheless, the metal packing industry currently is looking for alternatives to BPA – although these are still some years from coming to market, said Campbell."