The European Commission proposes to ban the use of the chemical substance Bpa, Bisphenol A, used in food and beverage packaging. In order to achieve this, it has launched a consultation process with a view to banning the use of the substance in the FMC, namely food contact materials: the consultation follows the Efsa conclusions, the European food safety authority, which underlined the "concern for human health" with regard to the substance, commonly used to produce polycarbonate plastics, often present in articles such as water bottles and epoxy resins that cover some cans and lids of food jars. The EU consultation will end on 8 march.

The EU fears that the chemical may "migrate" into food and beverages that contain: to avoid this, it wants to "impose a ban on the use of BPA in food contact materials, including plastic and coated packaging", reads a statement, which adds that the ban will also seek to "avoid replacing BPA with other harmful substances". Exemptions and facilities from the law will be considered, as well as "transitional periods that can be applied to companies". 

According to the opinion of the Authority of 2023, "the authorisation of the use of BPA in the manufacture of plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food and its use in other materials and articles intended to come into contact with food shall be updated". The paper suggests that even small amounts of this chemical could be harmful to human health if the amount is higher than the level of "tolerable daily intake" (TDI).

Last September, the European Environment Agency (EEA) published a report stating that the hormone-altering chemical could be present in the bodies of almost all Europeans, representing a health risk for millions of people. According to the EEA, bisphenol A is "well above acceptable levels of health safety": following a research project on human biomonitoring in the EU, It was found that between 71% and 100% of participants in 11 EU countries were likely to be exposed to an amount of BPA "above health safety thresholds".

"Bisphenol A represents a much more widespread risk to our health than previously thought -says Leena Ylä-Mononen, Eea executive director-. We must take the results of this research seriously and take more action at European level to limit exposure to chemicals that pose a health risk to Europeans". The industrial association Food Drink Europe said that food and beverage manufacturers "will fully comply with any new regulation", but called for measures to be "proportionate and realistic".