On July 9, 2014 the news provider The Hill reported that Democrats of both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives introduced a bill aiming to review the safety of all food contact substances and ban the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging. The bill was introduced by Representatives Lois Capps and Grace Meng (both Democrats) along with Senator Ed Markey (also Dem.) who had previously tried to ban the use of BPA in food packaging (reported on by the FPF). The new act is referred to as the “Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2013” and was already introduced to the House of Representatives by Markey in June 2013, when he was still a U.S. representative. The bill foresees that within 180 days of passing the use of BPA in food and beverage containers would be banned. Under the bill, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could grant product specific waivers to facilities that manufacture, process, pack, hold or sell products containing BPA. Products that have received such waiver would have to be labeled.
Steve Hentges from the American Chemistry Council (ACC) expressed concern that “unnecessary legislation that ignores the expert analysis of government at the U.S. FDA” was introduced again to the U.S. legislature.
Read more
Timothy Cama (July 9, 2014). “Bill would ban BPA in food packaging.” The Hill.
House of Representatives (2013). “To ban the use of bisphenol A in food containers, and for other purposes.” (pdf)
ACC (July 9, 2014). “Extensive safety assessments of BPA by FDA and other scientific bodies around the world make Markey legislation unnecessary and unwarranted.”
