Numerous Food Companies Are Ending Use of BPA, Report Says

Several major food companies are phasing out the use of the controversial chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA, as concerns rise that the chemical used in thousands of everyday plastics might be harmful to humans. Nestlé, the world’s biggest food manufacturer, will stop using BPA in its U.S. products within three years; Heinz is considering removing it from baby food packaging in the UK; and General Mills has already eliminated the chemical from some of its production sites. In a survey of 26 food companies, the U.S. firm Green Century Capital Management found that half were committed to eliminating the use of BPA in packaging — twice the percentage from a survey conducted last year. “Companies are actually moving faster than regulators in phasing out BPA from food and beverage packaging,” said Emily Stone, a shareholder advocate for Green Century. One of the exceptions is Coca Cola, which cites what it calls consensus among regulators that current exposure levels pose no human health risk. BPA, the primary component of hard and clear polycarbonate plastics ”“ including water bottles, baby bottles, and the linings of many canned foods — has been shown in numerous animal studies to interfere with hormone production and disrupt development.