Posted January 12, 2015
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has concluded bisphenol, a synthetic estrogen used in lining the insides of most U.S. food cans, is safe to consumers, according to an Environmental Working Group article available here. Food Safety News also published an article available hereand Packaging Digest here.
Without the FDA’s approval, American can makers would have to redesign their assembly line, which would be a costly endeavor. Some companies have already spent money switching to non-BPA materials to assure the public of their products’ safety.
This ruling was a victory for the North American Metal Packaging Alliance Inc. (NAMPA), according to Food Safety News.
“The comprehensive review by FDA scientists should dispel any concerns regarding the safe use of BPA epoxy resins in canned food,” said Dr. John M. Rost, chairman of NAMPA. “Agency researchers could not have been more clear or definitive in their conclusion that an adequate margin of safety exists for BPA.”
But a recent Korean study, published in Hypertension, a journal of the American Heart Association, suggested differently.
This study questions whether people with high blood pressure should avoid plastic containers and cans altogether due to the fact that the women who drank soy milk from the BPA cans experienced blood-pressure spikes with BPA present in their urine.
The FDA stated that the safety assessment might be revised accordingly pending completion, review, and identification of data from other studies relevant, according to Packaging Digest.
For more information on food safety, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
Share: