Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical that has been banned from baby bottles and thermal paper receipts in the EU. Now, it will also be banished from food packaging.
From July 2026 onwards, food wrappers and containers made with BPA or other bisphenols will no longer be allowed to be sold in the EU.
Bisphenol A is a chemical used to manufacture polycarbonate, a hard, transparent plastic, as well as epoxy resins. Such resins can be found in the interior coating of food or beverage cans, for example. They are designed to prevent the metal from rusting and leaching into the food.
BPA can also be found in plastic films, printing inks and adhesives. An average 410,000 metric tons of BPA-containing products are sold in Germany annually, reports BUND, one of Germany's largest environmental non-governmental organizations.
The new EU ban on BPA applies not only to single-use food packaging, but also to items such as plastic water bottles, lunch boxes and kitchenware.
