BPA in food packaging— FSANZ Factsheet

In Australia, the regulation of chemicals in plastic articles for food use, including baby bottles, is a shared responsibility of several Australian Government regulatory agencies; Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) for the food sold in plastic containers; the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) for the safety of the industrial chemicals used; and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for the safety of the plastic articles themselves.

In New Zealand chemicals in plastics are regulated by Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) and plastic consumer products by the New Zealand Ministry of Consumer Affairs. The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) also undertakes its own dietary surveys, safety assessments, management

FSANZ has been keeping a close watch on the use of BPA in food contact materials.  Small amounts of BPA can migrate from containers into food and beverages and its potential impact on human health has been extensively studied over the past 40 years.  FSANZ is very aware of and sensitive to the public concerns about the potential adverse health effects of exposure to Bisphenol A, but remains of the opinion that there is no health risk for consumers, including infants, as ongoing testing has revealed that BPA may only be found at extremely low levels in polycarbonate plastic baby bottles and in infant formula.  This view on risk is also shared by other international food regulators in Canada, the United States and Europe...

Read the entire Factsheet on the FSANZ website