In 2024, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommended significantly reducing the tolerable daily intake of BPA, leading the EU to propose new regulations. BPA, a widely used industrial chemical in certain materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, has raised safety concerns.
Key points of the 2024 draft regulation include:
- A ban on BPA in food contact plastics, coatings, inks, and adhesives, with limited exceptions for certain filtration membranes and large vessels, where BPA must be undetectable.
- Restrictions on other hazardous bisphenols, requiring risk assessment and authorization by EFSA.
- The regulation is expected to come into force by late 2024 after scrutiny by the European Parliament and Council.
Industries such as can coatings, polycarbonate, and rubber are expected to be most affected. Depending on the product type, transition periods of 18 to 36 months have been set for compliance.
