FDA Ends Use of BPA Resins in Infant Formula Packaging
The Food and Drug Administration will no longer allow use of bisphenol A-based epoxy resins as coatings in infant formula packaging, according to a final rule that takes effect July 12. The agency said it’s removing the approved use from its food additive regulations at 21 CFR 175 because the chemical is no longer used by the industry, and not because of safety concerns. “FDA’s action is based solely on a determination of abandonment and is not related to the safety of BPA,” FDA said in a press release (here). “The agency’s current safety review supports the safety of BPA for use in the manufacture of food contact articles as authorized in the food additive regulations,” it said.
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The removal of the approved use for BPA-based epoxy resins as coatings in infant formula packaging is being undertaken in response to a petition from Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass. Markey said the industry no longer uses BPA in the manufacturing of infant formula packaging, and requested FDA amend the regulations to reflect the change in industry practice.
But comments on removal of the use for BPA from three industry associations -- the Can Manufacturers Institute, North American Metal Packaging Alliance (NAMPA), and International Formula Council -- questioned whether the use of BPA in infant formula packaging has really been abandoned (here). Although infant formula packaging currently on the market may not use BPA-based coatings, the option to use them should still be maintained, said NAMPA. The coatings could be used in the future because of “the exceptional performance and safety record of those coatings, and FDA’s current recognition of their safe use for infant formula,” it said.