GMA Affirms Canned Foods With BPA Safe

WASHINGTON — In response to a report by the National Workgroup for Safe Markets, an environmental health coalition, demonstrating high levels of bisphenol A in canned foods, the Grocery Manufacturers Association issued a statement Tuesday quoting scientific sources and regulatory agencies affirming the safe use of BPA.

“Regulatory agencies around the world have based their safety affirmation of BPA on a wealth of data. In fact, there is no new science in the National Workgroup for Safe Markets’ report — all of the credible information in the report is well known to regulatory agencies and has been considered in their review and affirmation of the safety of BPA,” said Robert E. Brackett, GMA’s senior vice president and chief science and regulatory affairs officer in a prepared statement.

Brackett said until more definitive regulatory agency studies are completed, GMA will rely on the current and recently reaffirmed regulatory determinations by FDA that foods in cans with linings that utilize BPA are safe.

“Currently, the FDA is reviewing BPA again and is expected to complete an updated safety assessment within the next 18 to 24 months. In addition, the National Institutes of Health is devoting $30 million to study the safety of BPA. We should not get ahead of these two important projects. We welcome FDA and NIH review of BPA. These two projects will add to the already robust catalog of scientific evidence on BPA.

"We look forward to working cooperatively and responsively with HHS, FDA, NIH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, other stakeholders and the world’s food safety agencies in our continuous efforts to ensure the safety and quality of our products and packaging.”