BPA exposure from food packaging not a safety concern: Health Canada

Health Canada’s Food Directorate has announced that the current dietary exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) through food packaging uses is not expected to pose a health risk to the general population, including newborns and infants.

Health Canada recently conducted some surveys of products and released the results in July.

Survey results

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In one survey, the ministry examined samples from 122 baby foods sold in glass jars with metal lids and found that “exposure to BPA through the consumption of baby food is extremely low and poses no health or safety concerns.”

In another survey, Health Canada examined 38 canned powdered infant formula products and here also showed that exposure to BPA through their consumption poses no health or safety concerns.

Health Canada also examined BPA in water bottles. In that survey the ministry examined samples from 56 different bottled water products.

What they found was no detectable levels of BPA in these products, with the exception of water cooler containers. But the levels of BPA in these containers were very low and pose no safety concerns.

Periodic reviews

Health Canada’s Food Directorate says it conducts periodic reviews of BPA as new information becomes available relating to its toxicity and/or its potential exposure from food packaging applications.

The purpose of these reviews, it says, is to determine whether dietary exposure to BPA could pose a health risk to consumers.

But due to the uncertainty raised in some animal studies relating to the potential effects of low levels of BPA, the Government of Canada is taking action to enhance the protection of infants and young children.

The feds therefore recommend that the general principle of ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) be applied to continue efforts on limiting BPA exposure from food packaging applications to infants and newborns.