image via Steven Depolo since BPA is often found in food cans.
The French government wants to ban the use of the chemical bisphenol A in all plastic packaging in 2015. The plastics industry has responded by saying the government is being “unrealistic” about the challenges this change will produce.
The lobby group believes that a simple ban on bisphenol A in food packaging would lead to the disappearance of a large number of products, which would become more difficult to store. The alternatives to BPA are still too little understood, they say, particularly with regard to their durability and toxicity, and the new law could put the safety of consumers at risk.
Sources and more information
- French government and plastics lobby clash over Bisphenol A, euractiv, 07/12/2014.
- French government report misrepresents the challenges of replacing BPA, bisphenol-a-europe, 26-11-2014.
- More about Bisphenol A on anses, efsa.europa.eu, sante.gouv.fr and this blog.