FDA rejects BPA ban

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it will deny a petition from the National Resources Defense Council’s petition to prohibit the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food-contact products manufactured in America.

FDA officials said they did not have enough scientific evidence to warrant such a ban.

In 2008, the National Resources Defense Council submitted a petition asking the FDA to regulate the use of BPA in human food and food packaging. When the FDA didn’t reply, the Council sued the administration to get some form of action. This recent announcement is a response to that suit.

However, the federal agency stressed the announcement is not a final safety determination and it continues to support research examining the safety of BPA.

BPA is a chemical used in many consumer products, including clear and hard plastics called polycarbonate used in water and soda bottles, as well as in the resin linings of food and beverage cans and containers of infant formula.

While panned by a variety of consumer advocacy groups, the decision has been praised by plastics industry representatives. “FDA’s decision, which has taken into consideration the best available science, again confirms that BPA is safe for use in food-contact materials, as it has been approved and used safely for four decades,” said  Steve Hentges, of the Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group of the American Chemistry Council. “Consumers should understand from this announcement that the position of the independent, scientific experts at FDA is that BPA continues to be safe for use in food-contact materials.”