China announces BPA ban dates

THE production and import of infant food containers containing Bisphenol A (BPA), including baby feeding bottles, is to be banned from June 1.

And sales of such products will be banned from September 1, according to a draft notice issued by China's Ministry of Health.

Shanghai industrial and commercial authorities said that once the ban comes into force, they will carry out checks to see whether the bottles were still on the shelves. "We will launch an inspection campaign then," said Zhang Yusong, an official with the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Administrative Bureau.

The draft bans BPA from anything used to contain food or drink for babies.

BPA is widely used in food-related products such as packaging and containers.

Some foreign studies found BPA can disturb human metabolism, affect babies' immune systems and even induce cancer.

If a polycarbonate (PC) bottle is heated, the BPA could leach into its contents.

"So far, scientific research found BPA in food is at extremely low levels and there is no evidence to confirm BPA can harm people's health. But the government still decided to ban BPA as infants belong to a sensitive group," said the draft.

A European Union ban on the use of BPA in plastic bottles for babies came into effect in March.

Local baby feeding bottle producers have already taken action. A staff member with Pigeon Shanghai Co Ltd, a leading baby product brand, said the company had stopped making PC bottles containing BPA since March.

Some stores may have stocks of PC bottles, but the company will follow the government's order when the ban takes effect.

After the EU banned the material in baby bottles, many Shanghai parents switched to glass bottles.

Meanwhile, almost all online vendors say their products are BPA-free. On taobao.com, China's leading e-commerce platform, vendors said their bottles, which come from Europe and North America, are made of silica gel or glass.

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