BCF Challenges French Restrictions on BPA-Based Materials in Food Packaging
LONDON - The British Coatings Federation (BCF) has joined other associations in calling for the European Commission to take action, now that the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) has completed the latest comprehensive exposure assessment on bisphenol A (BPA). France introduced legislation on January 1, 2015 that suspended the use of BPA-based materials for packaging products intended to come into direct contact with food. The EFSA report reaffirms the global scientific opinion that BPA poses no health risk to consumers of any age group, because the current exposure to the chemical is too low to cause harm.
BPA is an essential base chemical used in the manufacture of materials (epoxy resins) that are subsequently used for protective coatings and inks used in flexible and rigid (metal can) packaging. Epoxy resins have been used safely for food-contact applications for over 50 years, and are the premium coating technology that ensures product integrity in food cans, ensuring that canned foods remain fit for human consumption throughout their long shelf life. Several key membership sectors at the BCF have been seriously affected by the unilateral French legislation.