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FDA bans BPA in infant bottles, cups
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In response to a food additive petition filed by the American Chemistry Council, the FDA has amended food additive regulations to no longer allow bisphenol A to be used in the manufacturing of infant bottles and training cups.
“As a result, consumers can be confident that these products do not contain BPA,” FDA spokesman Curtis Allen told Endocrine Today.
The request to revise the regulations was made by the American Chemistry Council in October. The group stated that manufacturers have halted the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in the production of infant bottles and cups due to a public outcry for the ban of BPA in those products.
“The action is in response to a food additive petition filed by the American Chemistry Council asserting that the use of BPA to make baby bottles and infant training cups has been abandoned by the industry manufacturers. The industry has stated publicly that it has abandoned its use in response to consumer preference,” Curtis said.
FDA action
The FDA final ruling states that the petition contained public information and information collected from companies that produce the polycarbonate resins to support the claim.
“Specifically, the petition contained the results of an industry poll showing that the polycarbonate resin manufacturers, which represent over 97% of worldwide polycarbonate resin production capacity, are no longer, to their knowledge, selling polycarbonate resins to be used in the manufacture of baby bottles and ‘sippy cups’ intended for import into the United States or sale in the US market,” the document states.
Additionally, the FDA provided 60 days for comments upon filing notice of the petition. Six main issues were raised:
- The safety of BPA.
- Whether the subject uses are adequately defined for baby bottles and sippy cups.
- The scope of the uses of polycarbonate resins addressed by the petition.
- Whether the subject uses have been abandoned.
- Labeling of BPA-containing materials.
- The amount of BPA allowed in the plastic products.
The FDA then reviewed the data and information on the petition and concluded that the uses of BPA-based polycarbonate resins in the manufacture of baby bottles and sippy cups have been “completely and permanently abandoned.”
Response
“Although governments around the world continue to support the safety of BPA in food contact materials, confusion about whether BPA is used in baby bottles and ‘sippy cups’ had become an unnecessary distraction to consumers, legislators and state regulators,” Steven G. Hentges, PhD, of the Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group of American Chemistry Council, said in a press release issued in response to the ruling.
“FDA action on this request now provides certainty that BPA is not used to make the baby bottles and ‘sippy cups’ on store shelves, either today or in the future.”
BPA is an endocrine-disrupting chemical, a substance in the environment that interferes with hormone action, resulting in adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological and immune effects in humans and wildlife, according to The Endocrine Society.
According to Curtis, the FDA’s action is based on the abandonment of these uses of BPA. However, “The agency continues to support the safety of BPA for use in products that hold food,” he said.
For More Information:
Refer to FDA Docket: FDA-2012-F-0031-0007 for all relevant documents pertaining to the petition and ruling.