On Dec 26, 2012, the French parliament has approved the Bisphenol A (BPA) ban on food contact packaging (Law No.2012-1442) and published in the French Official Journal. Certain medical devices with phthalate (DEHP) containing tubes are also subjected to this ban.

The Challenge
Effective from Jan 1, 2013, the manufacture, import, export and placing on the market of the following products containing BPA shall be prohibited:

• Food packaging that would come into direct contact with food for children under 3 years of age;
• Collars or shields of teats and soothers, teethers;
• Baby bottles specially for use in health institutions.

Food packaging containing BPA that would come into direct contact with food shall bear a health warning label advising against the use of such packaging due to the presence of BPA by pregnant women, breastfeeding women, infants and young children.

Effective from Jan 1, 2015, all food packaging intended to come into direct contact with food containing BPA shall be prohibited.

For medical devices, tubes containing di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) used in pediatric, neonatal and maternal health facilities, would be prohibited starting from July 1, 2015.

In addition, the Taiwan Department of Health (DOH) proposed an amendment to the requirements in Food Utensils, Containers and Packaging Hygiene Standard. The proposed amendment requires no manufacturing of baby and infant feeding bottles using materials containing BPA is allowed. Therefore the corresponding migration limits in the standard will be removed.

The Solution:
Intertek has developed precise analytical methods in verifying the concentration of BPA and phthalates. We offer comprehensive programs and services which draw on our industry specific knowledge and technical expertise.