On 12 October 2011, the French National Assembly passed a bill by 348 votes to two that would ban all food contact packaging, containers or utensils containing bisphenol A (BPA) effective 1 January 2014. This is the first step of the French prohibition procedure. Before the ban becomes final law, it will need to be passed by the French Senate. A date has not yet been set for the French Senate to vote on the ban.

The bill would amend French law No 2010-729 of 30 June 2010 relative to the ban of baby bottles made from BPA and expand the scope of the ban to include all food packaging containers and utensils. 

For food contact packaging, containers or utensils which are intended for children under three years of age, the ban would start one year earlier on 1 January 2013. The Assembly would also require the usage of health warning labels on all food packaging containing BPA to discourage use of these products by pregnant women and children under three.

The French Agency for Food Safety, Environment and Labor (ANSES) is expected to issue a report on potential substitutes for BPA. The French Government will forward this report to the French Parliament by 31 October 2012 at the latest.

Additional Information

The notice can be viewed at (in French): http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/13/pdf/ta/ta0747.pdf

Reports from ANSES dated September 2011: Health effects of bisphenol A – Uses of bisphenol A (in French): http://www.anses.fr/Documents/CHIM-Ra-BisphenolA.pdf

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