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Australia Set to Phase Out Bottles with BPA

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

Major retailers and the Australian Government have reached an agreement that will see a phase out of baby bottles containing Bisphenol A (BPA).

The agreement ends months of negotiations between the Australian government and major retailers including the Westfarmers group (Coles, K Mart, and Target) and retailers Woolworths, Big W, and Aldi.

The phase out began this month.??"Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has evaluated the safety of BPA and plasticisers in baby bottles and concluded that levels of intake of BPA or plasticisers are very low and do not pose a risk to babies health," Health Secretary Mark Butler said. ??"However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced earlier this year that it is carrying out further research into the risks for babies and infants associated with BPA."

A number of countries have responded to consumer concern and the FDA's announcement about BPA by introducing voluntary withdrawals of BPA-containing baby bottles from the market.

Several retailers in the United States, Canada, and a number of European countries are phasing out baby bottles and sippy cups containing BPA.

"The Australian Government appreciates there has been a level of public concern relating to BPA in baby bottles and, as such, has worked extensively with retailers to introduce the phase out," Butler said.

Butler congratulated the major retailers on their decision to come on board and called on other retailers to do the same as soon as possible. ??He said it would ease the concerns of Australian parents. ??"The Government has listened to families on the issue of BPA and we have taken appropriate action," he said.

In the U.S., Senator Diane Feinstein, D-CA, wants to amend the food safety bill waiting for a vote in the Senate to include a ban on BPA in all food containers.   Some say she may settle for an initial ban of BPA only in baby bottles and cups.

Full post as published by Food Safety News on July 14, 2010 (boomark / email).