For most single-use and repeat-use final food-contact articles manufactured using BPA under the rules previously in effect, July 20 was the final date on which those articles could be first placed on the EU market. The regulation took effect in January 2025 but provided a general 18-month transition period to allow manufacturers and food-industry customers to adapt.

The European Commission specifically identified coatings applied to metal cans and other food-contact surfaces among the applications covered by the restrictions. It said the transition away from BPA is particularly significant for metal-packaging coatings because the market has relied on numerous application-specific BPA-based epoxy formulations.

Several applications receive additional time. Single-use articles intended to preserve certain fruits, vegetables and fishery products may be first placed on the market until Jan. 20, 2028. The same extended deadline applies when a varnish or coating manufactured using BPA has been applied only to the exterior metal surface of a single-use food-contact article.

Repeat-use articles used as professional food-production equipment also receive a transition period through Jan. 20, 2028. Single-use articles placed on the market within the applicable transition period may be filled and sealed with food for another 12 months, and the resulting packaged food may remain on the market until stocks are exhausted.

The July deadline represents a milestone under an existing regulation rather than the adoption of a new ban. Manufacturers should assess individual coating systems, article types and end uses against the regulation’s exceptions, authorizations and documentation requirements.

Source: https://food.ec.europa.eu/food-safety-news/commission-adopts-ban-bisphenol-food-contact-materials-2024-12-19_en, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/3190