BPF takes 'Times' author to task on plastics packaging

The British Plastics Federation has reacted strongly to an article featured in The Times newspaper yesterday (2nd March 2015) investigating "the chemicals in supermarket packaging" in an article entitled "What Toxic Packaging Does to Your Healthy Food".  
 
The BPF said that the author of the article, Joanna Blythman was misleading Times readers in claiming that 'packaging chemicals' are not controlled.
 
BPF's Public and Industrial Affairs Manager, Sarah Plant, said "Plastics used in food packaging are subject to a whole battery of EU and national regulations which are constantly being updated. Bisphenol A and phthalates are some of the most widely studied chemicals in the world and their continued safe use has been thoroughly risk assessed by both EU and international authorities."
 
She added that "Developments in plastics packaging have been responsible for vast improvements in food hygiene over the last 50 years - without such packaging, food hygiene would likely regress to pre-war levels when the incidence of food poisoning was much higher. It was not uncommon before the days of durable and sealable packaging for rotting food, improperly packed, to cause worrying levels of fatality.  Not only is plastics packaging safe, public health benefits from it."

ENDS

For all media enquiries, BPF logos and images please contact Laura Hindley, Communications and Industrial Issues Executive on [email protected] or 0207 457 5043 

Notes for editors
The British Plastics federation (BPF) is the UK trade association for the Plastics Industry – representing the whole supply chain including polymer producers, distributors, additives suppliers, machinery manufacturers, processors and recyclers.