Written by Melanie Kozlan, Four Green Steps

Potentially following in the footsteps of Europe who have recently banned Bisphenol-A (BPA) from food packaging, the FDA of the USA will decide by the end of March whether or not they will also ban BPA from food packaging.BPA is a harmful chemical found in many plastics and canned items. Many are eager to see whether the FDA will vote in favor of business or public health, as the ban would no doubt be a brave move affecting thousands of companies.

From Forbes.com:

The FDA has said it will decide by March 31 whether BPA should be banned from all U.S. food and beverage packaging — not because of the French ban, which will make exports of U.S. products such as meats, juices and frozen seafood problematic, but because of a 2008 lawsuit filed against the FDA by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

The NRDC filed a petition with the FDA, asking it to ban the use of BPA in food packaging. According to the NRDC, the FDA, which is legally mandated to respond to written petitions within 180 days, ignored the petition, prompting the NRDC to file a suit, requiring it to respond.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons.

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