CARLISLE’S COMMITMENT TO SAFETY
Carlisle FoodService Products has an ongoing dedication to the protection of our customers through proactive verification of the safety of our products. Carlisle is committed to using the highest grade raw materials and providing products that are safe and manufactured for their intended use. Carlisle will continue to provide products using only materials that are scientifically proven to be safe. If fact-based scientific evidence demonstrates that any material is unsafe, we will immediately make whatever changes are necessary to remedy the situation.
BACKGROUND
Carlisle is aware of the ongoing research on Bisphenol A (BPA). We consider this matter very important and stay in close contact with the applicable government regulatory agencies that continue to look at this topic.
The following is intended to clarify current information on BPA, a basic chemical building block in the manufacture of polycarbonate resins.
Polycarbonate is one of the most versatile and common materials in use in the food service industry today. Food storage containers, drinking tumblers and beverage pitchers are all examples of polycarbonate products which are an integral part of commercial foodservice.
Polycarbonate containing BPA is widely used due to its excellent properties of durability, clarity and stain resistance. It has been safely used in consumer products for more than five decades. During this time, manufacturers and government agencies have conducted extensive health and safety studies on BPA.
Governments around the world have repeatedly found BPA to be safe for consumer use.
THE FINDINGS OF REGULATORY AGENCIES
Many of the agencies and authorities around the world that recognize the use of polycarbonate containing BPA as safe and have authorized its use in applications of direct food contact are:
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – www.fda.gov
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – www.epa.gov
- The European Food Safety Authority – www.efsa.europa.eu
- The United Kingdom Food Standards Agency – www.food.gov.uk
- The Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare – www.mhlw.go.jp/english
- Health Canada (HC), - www.hc-sc.gc.ca
On March 30, 2012, the FDA decided not to ban the use of BPA in plastic packaging. In the fall of 2014, FDA experts from across the agency, specializing in toxicology, analytical chemistry, endocrinology, epidemiology and other fields, completed a four-year review of more than 300 scientific studies. The FDA review has not found any information in the evaluated studies to prompt a revision of FDA’s safety assessment of BPA in food packaging at this time. The studies reviewed were published or available from November 1, 2009 to July 23, 2013.
On March 11, 2015, BPA was formally listed by OEHHA (California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment) to the annual publication for California Proposition 65 chemicals requiring an exposure warning label.
According to the American Chemistry Council, on the decision to list BPA on California’s Proposition 65, “The decision is not supported by the extensive scientific record presented to the committee and is completely contrary to explicit input provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”
As of March 11, 2016, the compliance date for warning labels, you will notice Carlisle polycarbonate items contain a label stating, “Warning this product may contain a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm”.
As of August 30, 2018, the State of California is requiring new warning verbiage on all Polycarbonate product. This new verbiage is as follows: “
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including BPA, which is known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.” All Polycarbonate product produced on and after August 30, 2018 will contain this new warning verbiage.
ABOUT CARLISLE’S PRODUCTS
BPA can be found in Carlisle products manufactured with polycarbonate. BPA is not found in Carlisle’s polypropylene or polyethylene storage containers, ABS products, or in most Carlisle tumblers which are made from the SAN resin. Products manufactured using these materials are deemed BPA-Free.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND QUESTIONS
For additional sources of information regarding BPA, please refer to:
- The Environmental Protection Agency American Plastics Council – www.americanplasticscouncil.org
- The International Food and Information Council - www.ific.org
- The American Chemistry Council - www.americanchemistry.com/Product-Groups-and-Stats/PolycarbonateBPA-Global-Group
For questions or feedback regarding Carlisle products, please contact your customer service representative, sales agent or submit a comment.