News Releases & Statements

American Beverage Association Statement on Bisphenol A

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
February 7, 2008
                                                                           
Contacts:  Tracey Halliday
(202) 463-6718

Jennifer Tzitzon
(202) 463-6705   

AMERICAN BEVERAGE ASSOCIATION  STATEMENT ABOUT BISPHENOL A (BPA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The beverage industry is committed to providing consumers with products that meet or exceed all government health, safety and quality standards. Bisphenol A (BPA) has been studied extensively and, at low levels, has been determined to be safe by regulatory authorities worldwide, including recent reviews in the United States, Europe, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom. In fact, in 2007, the National Toxicology Program’s Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) convened a panel of 12 independent experts to evaluate the entire body of scientific literature on BPA and, in the most authoritative report to date, concluded that there is little, if any, risk to public health.

Importantly, it should be noted that the report issued today by The Work Group for Safe Markets focused on the alleged leaching of BPA from plastic baby bottles when heated to 180 degrees Fahrenheit – not beverage containers.  Furthermore, the findings of this report cannot be extrapolated to our industry’s beverage containers, as they are not subjected to the same conditions.

BPA is a chemical that is used in thousands of packages around the world, including some plastic bottles and virtually all metal food and beverage cans.  It is important to note that the non-alcoholic beverage industry uses plastic bottles that are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and do not contain BPA.  Furthermore, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) testing also has confirmed that there is no BPA in soft drinks.

Additionally, can manufacturers use can linings - which may contain trace amounts of BPA - to prevent spoilage and protect beverages from direct contact with the can.  However, these trace amounts are virtually eliminated during the curing process which results in the polymer coating.  In fact, the two-piece cans used by the beverage industry to date have not been found to contain any BPA when tested by the FDA in off-the-shelf product examination or by independent laboratories under severe extraction techniques.

Detailed toxicological testing continues to support the conclusion that BPA is not a risk to human health.  Based on the current body of extensive research, strong scientific consensus is that there is no need for concern about the safety of beverage cans lined with polymeric coatings.

The beverage industry is proud of the quality of all of our beverages and their packaging.  We are committed to our consumers and our top priority is to ensure the quality and safety of our products through rigorous food safety procedures.

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The American Beverage Association is the trade association representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and distribute non-alcoholic beverages in the United States.

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