In an article published on September 28, 2017 by regulatory news provider Chemical Watch, reporter Clelia Oziel informed about the responses to the public consultation on the European Commission’s (EC) draft proposal on bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7) in food contact materials (FCMs). The draft proposal foresees banning the migration of BPA for FCMs intended to be used by young children, and sets a new limit for BPA migration from varnishes or coatings at 0.05 mg BPA/kg food, instead of the existing 0.6 mg/kg limit (FPF reported).
In response to a public consultation on the draft proposal (FPF reported), which ended on September 20, 2017, the non-governmental organization (NGO) CHEM Trust said that the proposal “does not go far enough,” and that the EU should in fact “impose a ban on all uses of BPA in FCMs, including paper and card.” This is because children could also be exposed to BPA when using food contact articles not designed specifically for child use, CHEM Trust said. Furthermore, by setting the new migration limit for coatings and varnishes in FCMs intended for use by the general population, the EC’s proposal fails to regulate BPA migration from other types of FCMs. “The fact that less is known about BPA levels in paper and card is not a rationale for inaction,” CHEM Trust emphasized.
Largely similar views were also expressed by the Belgian organization European Community of Consumer Co-operatives (Euro Coop Belgium) in response to the present consultation. Furthermore, Coop Denmark has recently proposed to ban all bisphenols in FCMs and some other consumer products (FPF reported). End of 2016, the majority of the Members of the European Parliament (MEP) backed the EP report calling for an EU-wide ban of BPA in all types of FCMs (FPF reported).
Another response to the consultation was received from several industry groups. Their joint submission stated that “the EU should harmonize legislation concerning BPA in FCMs to ensure a high level of protection to consumers.” Further, they wrote that “the definition of varnishes and coatings in the draft Regulation should emphasize that the restrictions apply only to varnishes and coatings ‘produced using’ BPA rather than ‘composed of substances including’ it.”
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Clelia Oziel (September 28, 2017). “NGOs call for EU ban on use of BPA in all FCMs.” Chemical Watch
