Bisphenol A (BPA) has been the subject of criticism for a while now. The compound, used to make plastics and epoxy resins, is a known estrogenic and several have raised concerns about the effects of its use in consumer products (especially those that come into contact with children). Canada officially declared it a toxic substance in 2010, and now France is getting on board with pushing it out of the food industry altogether. This week, French Health Minister Xavier Bertrand voiced support for a law that would ban the use of BPA in all food packaging by the year 2014 – and would ban the chemical in packaging aimed at children by 2013.
According to Food Production Daily, the proposed law (titled “Bill 3773” for now) was first registered for review in the National Assembly on September 28 by Deputy Michele Delaunay. French Ecology Minister Nancy Kosciusko-Morizet endorsed the bill two weeks ago.
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Health Minister Bertrand expressed his approval of the bill on Friday, citing a recent report published by French food safety agency ANSES (which translates to The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety) which warned about the potential health hazards of exposure to bisphenol A. Bertrand noted that the study had convinced him of the dangers of even small levels of BPA leeching into the population’s food supply.
If the sweeping measure is enacted, it would make France the first country in the world to fully ban the use of BPA that comes in contact with food products – thereby placing France ahead of even Canada in terms of activism against the chemical compound.
