30% of Plastics Interfere with Metabolism and Switch to Alternatives

The storm of milk powder was not successful, the bottle crisis was again, and the trouble seemed always to refuse to leave our little baby. The EU Food Chain and Animal Health Commission passed a decision of the European Commission on the 25th to prohibit the use of plastics containing chemical substance bisphenol A to produce baby bottles. This again makes young mothers and dads wrestle their hearts!

Bisphenol A Dissolution May Disturb Metabolism

According to reports, the EU Food Chain and Animal Health Commission stipulates that measures to prohibit the use of plastics containing chemical substance BPA in the production of baby bottles will take effect from mid-2011.

In recent months, the European Commission has been discussing this ban with the European Food Safety Agency, EU member states and some manufacturers. “The latest research shows that there are certain uncertainties or side effects of bisphenol A that may have effects on development, immune response, etc. Today’s decision is good for European parents,” said Dali, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Affairs of the European Commission. news."

According to the new EU regulations, member states will ban the use of BPA-containing plastic baby bottles from March 1, 2011, and ban the import of such plastic baby bottles from June 1, 2011. At present, France and Denmark have banned the sale of such bottles.

Bisphenol A is a chemical substance widely used in the manufacture of plastics. It is contained in many plastic containers and packagings such as baby bottles and beverage bottles. The debate over whether bisphenol A is harmful to health, especially children's health, has been a long-standing issue. Some studies believe that bisphenol A may exert estrogen-like effects and disrupt the metabolism of the body.

Xu Yuechu, executive director and secretary-general of the Nutrition Society of Guangdong Province and associate professor of the Department of Nutrition of the School of Public Health at Sun Yat-sen University, told reporters: “The appearance of bisphenol A is related to the raw materials and processes of food packaging. This kind of chemical substance is easily dissolved and the total human body is ingested. Not a good thing."

30% of food enterprises consciously switch to alternatives

Although there is no consensus on whether or not BPA has harmful effects on the human body in the world, there are still many large companies that will take the initiative to eliminate them in order to give consumers more security and confidence and to consider their own image. . Recently, GreenCentury Investment Corporation's "2010: Seek Safer Packaging" report shows that since last year, most companies that sell packaged foods such as Heinz Company and U.S. retailers have begun to take actions to replace endocrine disrupting substances. Bisphenol A (BPA) material. This report is an update of the 2009 report.

The report also showed that in 2009 only 7% of companies set up a timetable to phase out bisphenol A, and that figure rose to 32% in 2010.

However, China's relevant import data also show that domestic use of bisphenol A began to subtle changes. In October, the import volume of BPA (bisphenol A) was 36,195.252 tons, and the average import price was 2,097 USD/ton. This data is expected to be greatly reduced compared with those in the industry.

Very few bottle clear logo reminder

The reporter conducted a survey in the market and found that most milk bottles were made of PC material, which accounted for more than 80% of the market share. Carrefour, good and good, plastic bottles occupy more than 90% of space on shelves, glass bottles only 2, 3 kinds. Operators told reporters that because plastic bottles are resistant to high temperatures, they are not easily broken, smooth and easy to clean, so many parents favor plastic bottles. Daily sales are also good.

The reporter visited a number of baby-to-infant stores and discovered that the plastic bottle has both big brands such as Dr. Brown and Atelier, as well as some mid- to low-end brands, and only sees a milk bottle. “This product has passed the “Bisphenol A” test.” , The other brands of plastic bottles rarely have Chinese labels clearly indicate whether they contain bisphenol A, and many sales staff's answers to consumers' questions are: Parents are too careful, even if there is bisphenol A is not a big problem.

After learning from several baby supplies stores, there are currently no mandatory regulations in China requiring baby products to be clearly labeled as containing bisphenol A. Therefore, manufacturers have not done any work in this area.

To this end, Miss Zhang said that consumers hope that the country can fill this policy gap as soon as possible so that parents can buy clearly.

Bottle triangle sign to see carefully

Industry sources told reporters: “At present, there is no substitute for plastic bottles. New silicone baby bottles are too expensive for consumers to accept.” For 012-month-old babies, parents can choose large-brand glass bottles and glass bottles. Easy to sterilize and safer.

Quality supervision experts recommend that parents, when using plastic bottles, do not exceed 100°C when disinfecting, and use specialized sterilization pots. In addition, plastic bottles will wear out after repeated disinfection, and the dissolved bisphenol A will also increase. Therefore, it must be replaced within 8 months to a year.

Experts also pointed out that to identify whether plastic products contain bisphenol A (BPA), you can see if there is a triangular green recycling mark on the bottom of the bottle or plastic product. If the number in the triangle is 7, it must contain bisphenol A ( BPA).