In an article published on June 19, 2015 by news provider EurAktiv Network, journalist Cécile Barbière reports on recent developments concerning industry opposition on the ban of bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7) in France. On June 17, the French Council of State questioned the French Constitutional Council over the constitutionality of the country’s ban on BPA in food packaging. This action was put in motion following a request from the European Plastic Industry Association PlasticsEurope. They argue that the French law is non-concordant with EU food contact regulations and impedes the free movement of goods in the EU. The French Constitutional Court now has to decide whether or not article 1 of the law banning the use of BPA conforms to the French constitution – a decision can be expected by mid-September 2015. PlasticsEurope welcomed the French Council of State’s move saying that people’s confidence in products and in the European food security system needs to be restored. Under the law banning BPA in food packaging, the French government had prepared a report in 2014 identifying 73 alternatives to BPA for industrial use. PlasticsEurope criticized the report stating that effective alternatives to BPA do not yet exist.
In the EU BPA was banned in plastic baby bottles in 2011. The French government had already banned BPA in food contact materials intended for babies and young children in 2010 and further banned BPA from all food packaging as of January 2015 (FPF reported). The latter measure goes beyond current EU regulations and also contradicts the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) scientific opinion on BPA published in January 2015 stating that BPA is safe for consumers at current exposure levels (FPF reported).
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Cécile Barbière (June 19, 2015). “Plastics industry raises pressure over BPA ban.” EurActiv Network
Food Packaging Forum (March 11, 2014). Bisphenol A.
