The International Formula Council (IFC) has dismissed safety fears surrounding liquid infant formula amid claims in the US that the food is sold in cans lined with a potentially harmful chemical.
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The US-based Environmental Working Group said infant health was in danger after it claimed to find liquid infant formula sold in cans lined with bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that mimics the hormone oestrogen.
However, the IFC shrugged off the fears and said that, although tests had found some instances of BPA, the levels detected would not harm humans.
During testing, the IFC said the BPA chemical was found in two out of six cans of milk- and soy-based infant formulas from two different infant formula manufacturers.
The IFC said the concentration ranged from non-detectable to 17.1 parts per billion – far below what was considered potentially harmful to humans.
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By GlobalData“In summary, no changes in feeding practices for infants are recommended. Parents and health professionals can be assured infant formula is safe and nutritious,” the IFC said.
Nestlé told just-food that the US Food and Drug Administration had approved the use of BPA in “food contact applications” and had found the chemical “pose no risk whatsoever to consumers”.
A spokesman for Nestlé in Vevey, Switzerland, said the company “stands by our products in these types of cans as being safe”.
