FDA Changes Rules Regulating BPA in Baby Bottles and Sippy Cups
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced in the Federal Register that it has revised the regulation of bisphenol-A (BPA) in baby bottles and sippy cups, bringing certainty to the marketplace that BPA is no longer in these products. The request to revise the rule was made by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) in October of 2011, in an effort to clarify for consumers that BPA is no longer used to manufacture these products and will not be used in these products in the future.
“Although governments around the world continue to support the safety of BPA in food contact materials, confusion about whether BPA is used in baby bottles and sippy cups had become an unnecessary distraction to consumers, legislators and state regulators,” said Steven G. Hentges, Ph.D., of the Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group of ACC. “FDA action on this request now provides certainty that BPA is not used to make the baby bottles and sippy cups on store shelves, either today or in the future.”
BPA is one of the most thoroughly tested chemicals in commerce today. The consensus of government agencies across the world is that BPA is safe for use in food-contact materials, including those intended for infants and toddlers.
State legislative and regulatory actions across the country had contributed to confusion about whether baby bottles and sippy cups sold in the United States contain BPA. In fact, manufacturers of baby bottles and sippy cups announced several years ago that due to consumer preference they had stopped using BPA in these products.