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NAMPA News
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN
Welcome to the New NAMPA
Website:
User-Friendly Design Unveiled
With each new media
story that surfaces about bisphenol A (BPA), it is clear that important
facts are routinely overlooked. This
has left consumers confused and concerned, without the full details on perceived
risks from this critically important food packaging material. As a responsible industry, the members of
the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, Inc. (NAMPA) have spent countless hours working
to make information about the benefits of metal packaging as well as the
scientific research on BPA available and accessible to regulators,
reporters, and consumers alike.
We do so with the goal
of ensuring that the full perspective on metal cans and BPA is considered,
including the significant food safety benefits that result from metal
packaging. NAMPA members strive to educate to allow
people to make an informed decision about the canned food and beverage
products they purchase. It is with
that goal in mind that I am pleased officially to unveil, with this
publication of NAMPA News, our
association's newly designed website.
Over the past few
months, we have worked diligently to redesign both the look and the
structure of the site to make it easier to navigate. As you will see, we have added clearly
identified categories to allow visitors to find easily valuable information
about the vital role of metal packaging in providing safe and nutritious
food in an economical manner. The
redesigned site also offers a comprehensive new section detailing the
safety of metal packaging, featuring an overview of the use of epoxy resins
made with BPA; a look at NAMPA's commitment to sound scientific
research; a summary of the international scientific reviews of BPA; details
regarding BPA and food safety; and much more.
Our intent was to make
the NAMPA
site more dynamic with bold design elements, an enhanced Search function,
and increased use of photography and video imagery. Our NAMPA's
Twitter feed also is more prominent.
We hope you will find
the new NAMPA
website a valuable resource for information about our industry and
issues. We encourage our members,
our members' customers, and others to visit the site often to get the
latest developments from the world of metal packaging; to use the
information provided as part of your education activities; and to share the
link with other interested parties.
NAMPA NEWS BRIEFS
German Society of
Toxicology Study Supports Global Scientific Consensus on BPA
In late April, an
independent analysis was published in the peer-reviewed journal Critical
Reviews in Toxicology, which reaffirmed the global consensus that BPA
does not pose a risk to human health.
The study was conducted by members of the German Society of Toxicology
(SOT) and included a thorough review of all available scientific research
on controversial issues associated with BPA.
In the study, the German
toxicologists examined the scientific research on the most controversial
issues with BPA, notably the "low dose theory" of endocrine
disruption, the discrepancies between academic and industry funded research
as well as susceptibility of certain populations. The nine authors found little scientific
support for the low dose theory, and they explained the different aims and
protocols for industry and academic science and how those different goals
impact the findings. The analysis
also concluded that research suggesting that infants were at risk failed to
account for various metabolic functions to process BPA efficiently.
More specifically, this
independent group of scientific experts determined that repeated failure to
reproduce low-dose, positive health effects studies indicated that BPA may
not cause any adverse health effects. In fact, the study went on to say,
"The negative outcome of these large and well-designed studies
prompted the question as to whether it is time to end concerns over the
estrogenic effects of BPA."
Additionally, the authors found criticisms regarding those same
regulatory studies unsubstantiated by scientific research.
While the German SOT
findings confirm the global regulatory consensus that current levels of
exposure to BPA in food packaging are safe, the analysis contributes more
to the international discussion of chemical regulation. The authors stated clearly that actions
taken to ban BPA may be politically motivated, as the science does not
provide a compelling reason to do so.
This conclusion is an important reminder to the scientific community
of the need to present, explain, and defend their findings to policymakers,
lest the science be overwhelmed by fear and emotion.
Update on Initiatives Impacting BPA
Since the beginning of
this year, there has been no respite from efforts at both the state and international
levels to seek some limits on the use of BPA. Numerous proposals are under
consideration in several U.S.
states as well as countries where BPA critics are pursuing measures to
restrict BPA in both plastic and metal packaging.
On the state level, Maryland and Maine
have adopted new laws banning BPA.
On April 13, 2011, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley signed
into law a measure prohibiting the use of BPA in the manufacture, sale, or
distribution of containers of infant formula. Maine's
ban on BPA, which prohibits the use of BPA in children's products,
including baby bottles and sippy cups, was passed into law without its
Governor's signature.
Still awaiting further
action are legislative measures in Oregon,
Iowa, and California. The Oregon State Senate passed a bill
that would prohibit BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups and force the Oregon
Health Authority to provide only BPA-free infant formula cans to low-income
families, but the bill remained blocked in a House committee. In late May, a Portland Democrat filed a
discharge petition to bring the bill out of committee and directly to a
full House floor vote. The discharge
effort failed and while that bill is dead, one of its key supporters has
indicated his intent to introduce an identical measure with a new bill
number prior to the end of the session.
Iowa's State Senate approved an amendment to a
House-passed state appropriations bill that not only would make it illegal
to manufacture, sell, or distribute sippy cups, baby bottles, baby bottle
liners, teething rings, and pacifiers containing BPA, but would also
require labeling provisions. The
full appropriations bill is awaiting action in the Senate, which is
expected to support the BPA amendment.
The California State
Assembly passed a bill in late May to prohibit the manufacture, sale, or
distribution of baby bottles, sippy cups, and infant formula and baby food
containers designed for children 3 and younger. The measure included a 0.1 ppb threshold
for BPA in baby food and infant formula, and is now awaiting action by the
California Senate.
On the international
front, regulatory and legislative efforts continue to move forward in a
number of countries aimed at restricting and/or monitoring the use of
BPA. In China, the Ministry of Health
announced a public health directive prohibiting the manufacture, import, or
sale of infant feeding bottles containing BPA. The directive coincides with
a recent ruling by the Supreme People's Court of China allowing for
capital punishment in cases of food safety violations resulting in human
death. Malaysia
has also signed into law a ban on the use of BPA in infant formula
containers. Regulatory reviews and
proposals phasing out, limiting the use of, or requiring the reporting of
BPA in packaging are currently under review in Brazil,
Sweden, Austria, France,
Belgium, and South Africa.
NAMPA Expands Education Efforts in Summer 2011
As part of an ongoing
effort to educate broader audiences about metal packaging and the use of
epoxy resin can coatings, NAMPA
representatives will be participating in two key conferences this summer.
Later this month, NAMPA
Chairman Dr. John Rost, and Executive Director Kathleen Roberts will
participate in the 2011 International Food Technologists Annual Meeting and
Expo (IFT11) in New Orleans,
LA. They will join fellow presenters Kristi
Jacobs of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Trevor Butterworth
from George Mason University
as part of an expert panel on BPA.
Through a series of presentations and a moderated discussion, the
panel will address BPA regulatory status, BPA alternatives, the potential
low-dose risks of these compounds as well as differences in performance,
and the impact on packaging and manufacturing. The BPA session at IFT11 is scheduled for
Sunday, June 12, 2011.
NAMPA will kick off August with a presentation by Dr.
Rost at a symposium of the International Association for Food Protection
(IAFP). Entitled "Safety and
Performance of Can Coating Technologies - BPA Epoxy Resin and Alternatives,"
Dr. Rost's presentation will take place as part of the IAFP's
symposium on BPA scheduled for August 3, 2011, in Milwaukee, WI.
For more information on
these events, visit http://www.am-fe.ift.org/cms/
or http://www.foodprotection.org/events/iafp-annual-meeting/.
BPA and NAMPA in the News
Just in time for
Fathers' Day 2011, the June issue of Redbook magazine now on newsstands
features a lengthy article on the potential risks to consumers from
exposure to BPA. The article,
entitled "The New Boys' Health Scare," addressed
endocrine disruption as the result of exposure to BPA with particular
emphasis on its impact on infant boys.
The author quoted experts on both sides of the controversy,
including NAMPA Chairman Dr. John Rost.
The only industry representative included in the article, Dr. Rost
addressed the beneficial role of BPA epoxy resins in protecting food safety
and informed readers that the World Health Organization (WHO) and the
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) had recently found BPA safe for use
in cans.
Glamour magazine also took up the BPA issue in its May
edition. The article -- "The New
Toxic Threats to Womens' Health" -- talked about chemicals
found in foods, cosmetics, hair products, and common household goods. Information came primarily from noted
critics of BPA, while reviews by major international regulatory bodies were
overlooked. NAMPA sent a letter to
the editor to inform the magazine's readers of the food safety
benefits of epoxy resins, and also that the WHO, EFSA, Food Standards
Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), FDA, and the German Institute for Risk
Assessment are among the distinguished organizations that have found BPA
safe in food contact applications.
Consumers Willing to Pay More for Food Safety
When it comes to food safety, a new survey by Pew
Charitable Trusts recently found that nearly seven in ten respondents
said they would be willing to pay more for food in order to support the
increase in funding needed to implement the Food Safety Modernization
Act. Sixty-six percent of
respondents supported extra funding for the FDA to implement new food
safety responsibilities, while nearly 75 percent said they would pay up to
3 percent more for food. The survey
was conducted in late April by Pew in response to questions about the fate
of the federal funding required to implement the new law.
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