The main transition period for the EU ban on bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7) in food contact materials ended on July 20, 2026. From this date, most single-use and reusable food contact articles (FCAs) manufactured using BPA may no longer be placed on the EU market for the first time (FPF reported).
The restriction was adopted by the European Commission in December 2024 (Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/3190). It prohibits the use of BPA in all food contact materials and articles, other than a few derogations. The Commission introduced an 18-month transition period to allow manufacturers and food businesses to reformulate materials and adapt supply chains. BPA has been widely used as a starting substance for polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, including coatings applied to metal food cans, jar lids, reusable drinking bottles, and food-production equipment (FPF reported).
Products may remain in circulation
The July deadline does not mean that all food packaged in BPA containing materials must now be removed from shelves.
Single-use food contact articles that were first placed on the market before July 20 may continue to be filled with food and sealed for another 12 months. Foods packaged with those containers can be sold until the stock is exhausted.
Reusable articles first placed on the market by the July 2026 deadline may remain on the market until July 20, 2027. The European Commission corrected and clarified these transitional provisions in February 2026 through Regulation (EU) 2026/250.
Longer timelines apply for applications that the Commission considered technically more difficult. Namely, single-use articles used to preserve certain fruits, vegetables, and fish products, as well as metal articles with BPA-based varnishes or coatings applied only to their exterior surface. Those items may be placed on the market until January 20, 2028, and filled and sealed for another year.
Reusable articles forming part of professional food processing equipment may also be placed on the market until January 20, 2028, and remain on the market until January 20, 2029.
Two specific uses of BPA remain authorized under restricted conditions: liquid epoxy resins applied to self-supporting food contact articles with capacities greater than 1,000 liters, and polysulfone filtration membrane assemblies. In both cases, migration of BPA into food must not be detectable, and the final articles must be cleaned and flushed before first use.
References
European Commission (December 19, 2024). “Commission adopts ban of Bisphenol A in food contact materials.”
European Commission (2026). “Consolidated text of Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/3190, as amended by Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/250.”
