French Health Minister, National Assembly Support BPA Ban
French Health Minister Xavier Bertrand has become the second cabinet member to publicly declare his support for legislation recently adopted by the National Assembly that would prohibit bisphenol A (BPA) in all food packaging as of January 1, 2014. According to an October 7, 2011, press statement issued by Bertrand, the bill—if passed by the Senate later this year—would also require packaging that contained BPA to bear warning labels directed at pregnant women and children younger than age 3.
In particular, Bertrand cited a recent government report that highlighted
the alleged risks associated with low-level exposure to BPA, rendering the
“precautionary” bill “legitimate and even necessary.” The minister also called
for an intermediary measure that would prohibit BPA in food containers
designed for children younger than age 3 by 2013.
“I have always said that if we had new evidence, we would assume responsibility,” Bertrand was quoted as saying. “With this new law, France is the first country in Europe and among the first in the world to go so far in the precaution against Bisphenol A.” See FoodProductionDaily.com, October 10, 2011; ENDS Europe, October 13, 2011.
