PLASTICS AND HEALTH
US canned soup maker to phase out BPA / Concerns about the impact of French legislation
The Campbell Soup Company (Camden, New Jersey / USA; www.campbellsoup.com) has said it will stop using epoxy resin can liners that contain bisphenol A (BPA). The announcement made during a shareholders’ meeting last month comes amid growing worldwide pressure to ban the controversial chemical in consumer products. It also follows anti-BPA initiatives by US groups such as The Breast Cancer Fund.
While Campbell insists it has been working on the phase-out for some time and is not bending to pressure, consumer advocates say the move appears to be a reverse of the company’s earlier strategy. They note that in September 2011 Campbell asserted that BPA in can linings “poses no threat to human health.” In any case, the Breast Cancer Fund applauds the company’s decision as “a victory for consumers.” At the same time, the fund and other pressure groups are unhappy with the soup maker’s lack of transparency about its timeline for the phase-out, urging it to “fully disclose” this as well as the alternatives that will be used.
Meawhile, all eyes in the US are on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, Washington, DC / USA; www.fda.org), which is obliged to publish a new assessment of BPA by the end of March. In early 2010, the FDA, after much foot dragging, modified its earlier stance that BPA posed no threat to human health and expressed “some concern” about its effects – see Plasteurope.com of 19.01.2010. However, it failed to respond by the required deadline to a 2008 petition by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC, New York / USA; www.nrdc.org) that it ban the chemical. To avoid a lawsuit, the government health watchdog agreed to present a new review by 31 March 2012.
In another twist to the ongoing global discussion on the effects of BPA, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA, Washington, DC) has expressed concern that the proposed restrictions or bans in other countries could hamper exports of US companies abroad. In a communiqué prepared in February, officials examined the impact of pending French legislation banning BPA in food contact packaging from 2014 – see Plasteurope.com of 21.10.2011.
The law passed unanimously by the lower house of parliament, Assemblée Nationale, was expected to be debated by the National Assembly, the upper house of parliament, this month. The French packaging industry has urged that the deadline be pushed back, as it will take some time to comply with the new rules. The European Union, with whose laws France must comply, is still seeking comment from other EU member states and has extended the deadline to 20 April 2012.
While Campbell insists it has been working on the phase-out for some time and is not bending to pressure, consumer advocates say the move appears to be a reverse of the company’s earlier strategy. They note that in September 2011 Campbell asserted that BPA in can linings “poses no threat to human health.” In any case, the Breast Cancer Fund applauds the company’s decision as “a victory for consumers.” At the same time, the fund and other pressure groups are unhappy with the soup maker’s lack of transparency about its timeline for the phase-out, urging it to “fully disclose” this as well as the alternatives that will be used.
Meawhile, all eyes in the US are on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, Washington, DC / USA; www.fda.org), which is obliged to publish a new assessment of BPA by the end of March. In early 2010, the FDA, after much foot dragging, modified its earlier stance that BPA posed no threat to human health and expressed “some concern” about its effects – see Plasteurope.com of 19.01.2010. However, it failed to respond by the required deadline to a 2008 petition by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC, New York / USA; www.nrdc.org) that it ban the chemical. To avoid a lawsuit, the government health watchdog agreed to present a new review by 31 March 2012.
In another twist to the ongoing global discussion on the effects of BPA, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA, Washington, DC) has expressed concern that the proposed restrictions or bans in other countries could hamper exports of US companies abroad. In a communiqué prepared in February, officials examined the impact of pending French legislation banning BPA in food contact packaging from 2014 – see Plasteurope.com of 21.10.2011.
The law passed unanimously by the lower house of parliament, Assemblée Nationale, was expected to be debated by the National Assembly, the upper house of parliament, this month. The French packaging industry has urged that the deadline be pushed back, as it will take some time to comply with the new rules. The European Union, with whose laws France must comply, is still seeking comment from other EU member states and has extended the deadline to 20 April 2012.
15.03.2012 Plasteurope.com [221841-0]
Published on 15.03.2012