EU Strengthens Bisphenol A Restriction in Food Contact Materials and Articles

Vol. 1014 | 27 Feb 2018

On 14 February 2018, the European Commission published Regulation (EU) 2018/213 in the Official Journal of European Union to strengthen the restriction on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic food contact materials under Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 and restrict the use of BPA as varnishes and coatings applied to food contact materials.

The restrictions shall apply from 6 September 2018. The affected products that were lawfully placed on the market before the date may remain on the market until stock exhaustion.

The BPA restrictions are highlighted as below:

• Plastic food contact materials and articles
  • Specific migration limit of BPA is lowered from ≤0.6 mg/kg to ≤0.05 mg/kg
  • BPA prohibition is extended from polycarbonate (PC) infant feeding bottles to PC drinking cups or bottles, which due to their spill proof characteristics, are intended for infants and young children
• Varnishes and coatings applied to food contact materials and articles
  • Specific migration limit of BPA is ≤0.05 mg/kg; however
  • No migration shall be permitted from varnishes or coatings applied to food contact materials and articles specifically for:
    • infant formula,
    • follow-on formula,
    • processed cereal-based food,
    • baby food,
    • food for special medical purposes developed to satisfy the nutritional requirements of infants and young children,
    • milk-based drinks and similar products specifically intended for young children
  • Declaration of compliance (DoC) shall be available at all stages of manufacture, processing and distribution other than the retail stage. Upon request of a national competent authority, appropriate supporting documentation to demonstrate compliance with the written declaration shall be provided

For more information, contact:

John Wong
john.wong@intertek.com
852 3760 6310