The Future of Both Food Safety and BPA Uncertain

As the days and weeks tick down, so do the chances of passage for a number of bills held up in the Senate. One of these is S.510, better known as the Food Safety Bill.Originally considered a non-controversial piece of legislation (it passed easily in the House over a year ago) the Food Safety Bill has become nothing short of contentious as a result of added language by Senator Dianne Feinstein banning a chemical called bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA. The addition of this language has many in the food industry as well as special interest groups and chemical companies up in arms. Many have withdrawn their original support for the bill as a result of the added language claiming that the new rules are unfounded and too onerous for too many in the industry.Critics of BPA argue that the chemical has very serious effects on children (the chemical is often found in the plastic used to make baby bottles) as well as on the endocrine system as a whole.The one thing both opponents and proponents of BPA can agree on is that unless a resolution is reached the chances of passing the Food Safety Bill in its current form grow slimmer by the day.