Bisphenol A in food packaging to be tested further
23 December 2008
The fact is that the levels of migration of BPA detected from products on sale in the UK are very low and do not present a risk for public health 
Spokesperson, Food Standards Agency
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The safety of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic food packaging needs to be studied further, according to a recent release from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).
Concerns about the health effects of BPA were widely reported in the news this year. The chemical was banned in baby bottles in Canada in October. BPA has recently been in the news again following the FDA's decision to carry out further tests on the chemical.
A spokesperson from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK told the Bupa health information team that we shouldn't be concerned about BPA: "The fact is that the levels of migration of BPA detected from products on sale in the UK are very low and don't present a risk for public health."
He added: "Consumers are safe from any harmful effects from the levels of this chemical and they need not worry."
The evidence on the health effects of BPA is inconclusive because there haven't been enough high-quality studies looking at the effects of low doses of BPA in humans. Many of the studies that have been carried out so far have been in rats or mice.
One example of a recent study on the health effects of BPA in humans analysed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003 to 2004. The researchers looked at BPA levels in the urine of 1,455 US adults who were also asked about their health status. The researchers found higher levels of BPA in people who had heart disease, diabetes and liver enzyme abnormalities. However, this study only looked one group of people on one occasion, so the findings aren't necessarily a result of BPA alone - they could be due to another factor. The results were published in September in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In 2006, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) carried out a review of the current literature on BPA. The EFSA concluded that both children's and adult's daily exposure to BPA is lower than the tolerable daily intake and that the general public shouldn't worry.
The Food Standards Agency is working closely with the EFSA to make sure that people aren't exposed to harmful levels of BPA.
The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), a trade body of the food and drink industry, is also working with suppliers to look for ways to reduce the transfer of BPA to food and beverages, and find possible alternatives.
A spokesperson from the FDF told the Bupa health information team: "As a result of consumer concern over recent news articles about bisphenol A, FDF members will continue to work with suppliers to further improve current coating technologies and reduce any potential residues of bisphenol A."
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