Health Canada Announcement on BPA

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IFC Statement on HC Announcement re BPA

In Response to Health Canada's Announcement on Bisphenol A, the International Formula Council (IFC)* Offers the Following Comments:

IFC Position

On April 18 Health Canada announced that epoxy-lined infant formula products, which contain trace amounts of the substance bisphenol A (BPA), are safe for consumption.  In light of this announcement, the infant formula industry reaffirms its commitment to work in collaboration with government and regulatory authorities to protect the health and safety of infants worldwide.  Health Canada emphasized that current BPA exposure levels for infants are below what would be considered harmful.  Parents and health professionals can be assured infant formula is safe and nutritious.

Minister of Health Tony Clement made it clear that the nutritional benefits of canned infant formula far outweigh the potential risks of exposure to BPA.  Health Canada strongly advised that, to minimize potential exposure to BPA, polycarbonate plastic baby bottles should not come in contact with boiling water.  Health Canada therefore noted it is inadvisable to add boiling water to a baby bottle until it is thoroughly cooled. 

The safety of BPA has been studied by government and scientific bodies worldwide, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), all of which support the conclusion that BPA is safe.

The draft screening assessment performed by Health Canada is based on a toxicology review, and not on actual exposure levels from human studies.  Laboratory testing that has confirmed adverse effects in animals resulted from doses several orders of magnitude higher than typical human exposure to BPA.  Therefore, Health Canada’s findings are not unexpected. 

The infant formula industry takes all safety issues very seriously.  Our research and development programs are targeted to produce the highest quality of infant formula products available.  When new information becomes available on substances like BPA, we support bringing the information forward through the accepted process of scientific peer review and evaluation.  This helps ensure that it is evaluated with consideration to existing science and that policies are driven by sound science.

Background

On April 19, 2008, Health Canada released its draft human health screening assessment for bisphenol-A (BPA).  Health Canada has concern regarding the addition of boiling water to polycarbonate baby bottles and has proposed a future ban on these products.  However, it clearly stated that the nutritional benefits of infant formula fed from epoxy-lined cans far outweigh the potential risks from exposure to BPA.  Health Canada’s announcement is the first step in a series of procedural steps necessary for the Canadian government to determine if, in fact, BPA poses a risk to human health.

BPA is used in food packaging to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy can coatings.  These materials have been extensively studied and are approved for use in direct contact with food by national and international regulatory bodies and have been used safely in food contact applications for over 50 years. 

BPA is not an ingredient in infant formula; it is only present in trace amounts in some of the packaging of canned foods, such as infant formula.

The lining BPA creates prevents the food or beverage from coming into contact with the metal, which without the lining could result in damage to both the container and its contents.  For example, without the lining, elements in the metal could transfer into the food or beverage, and the potency of the nutrients in the food or beverage could be reduced, or rust could compromise the ability of the can to protect its contents.

The safety of BPA is supported by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Japanese National Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.  In fact, an independent expert panel recently used all relevant literature to perform a comprehensive risk assessment on BPA on behalf of EFSA and found appropriate evidence of safety to support a five-fold increase in the allowable level of BPA in food.  The expert panel stated, “In its evaluation the Panel gave special attention to infants and children,” and noted that infants would need to consume hundreds of times the amount of BPA found in canned foods to approach any safety concerns.

For additional information, please read the International Formula Council (IFC) Supports Sound Science as Criteria for the Use of Bisphenol A (BPA) statement.

April 2008

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*The IFC is an association of manufacturers and marketers of formulated nutrition products, e.g., infant formulas and adult nutritionals, whose members are based predominantly in North America.  IFC members are: Abbott Nutrition; Mead Johnson Nutrition; Nestlé Nutrition – USA; and Wyeth Nutrition.