Philippines bans Bisphenol A (BPA) in infant feeding bottles

On August 9, 2019, Food and Drug Administration Circular No. 2019-004 on Ban of Bisphenol A (BPA) from Infant Feeding Bottles and Sippy Cups as Child Care Article Products was issued in the Philippines. This Circular regulates “infant feeding bottles” and “sippy cups” containing BPA, prohibiting their manufacture, importation, and distribution, and requiring their recall from the market during given phase-out period. This Circular shall take effect 30 days after its publication in two newspapers of general circulation and submission of a copy thereof to the Office of the National Registry of the University of the Philippines Law Center.

The original text of this Circular can be downloaded from the following URL.
https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/FDA-Circular-No.2019-004.pdf

Details of the regulation

1. The manufacture, importation and distribution of infant feeding bottles and sippy cups containing BPA shall not be allowed.
2. All concerned establishments shall be given six months phase-out period to recall all infant feeding bottles and sippy cups containing BPA from the market.
3. It shall be the responsibility of the manufacturer, trader, importer, distributor, or wholesaler to conduct recall of their products to ensure that infant feeding bottles and sippy cups containing BPA are removed from the market and shall no longer be made available to the market after the phase-out period.
4. The manufacturer, importer and/or distributor of the banned products shall conduct inventory and submit a report to the FDA one month after the given phase-out period.
5. The manufacturer, importer and/or distributor of the banned products shall prepare a disposal plan in accordance with Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) rules and regulations subject to FDA approval.