If you’ve been in the market for a new water bottle or food containers, you may have noticed the label ‘BPA free’ attached to some products. In this article, find out what BPA free means and whether you should avoid BPA.
What is BPA?
BPA is Bisphenol A, a chemical that is used to line some products to ensure a longer shelf life and reduce the risk of food contamination.
Traces of BPA can wind up in food and drinks, which has caused some concern among consumers. In fact, some countries have banned the sale of BPA products. While Australia is yet to ban BPA products, it has introduced a voluntary phase out of baby bottles containing BPA.
Is BPA Safe?
According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), there are ‘potential concerns’ following studies on animals that BPA exposure can cause health problems. However, they state that the ‘overwhelming weight of scientific opinion is that there is no health or safety issue at the levels people are exposed to.’
The internationally-set safe daily limit for exposure to BPA seems to be far more than any person could possibly ingest. For example, a nine month old baby would need to eat over a kilogram of tinned baby food each day to reach the tolerable daily intake (TDI).
Consumer watchdog Choice recently conducted a test of 38 canned foods, including baby products. They found that:
- Some tinned baby food contained ‘relatively high levels’ of BPA
- None of the foods exceeded the EU’s BPA limit
- If an average adult ate one serving of 29 of the tested foods, they would ingest more BPA than the proposed daily limit
Choosing BPA Free Products
Currently, the BPA debate continues with experts and commentators divided. Until an agreement can be reached in Australia about the safe daily limit, many concerned consumers are choosing BPA free products.
Here are a few tips when choosing and using BPA free products:
- Swap plastic containers for stainless steel, glass or porcelain
- Cut back on canned goods to avoid those lined with BPA resin
- Look for the BPA-free label on water bottles and containers. Bear in mind that some inferior products may label their items as BPA-free when they may not be, so check with the manufacturer first.
