Washington D.C.—Yesterday, CFA and a coalition of consumer, public health, and environmental groups, filed a citizen’s petition requesting that FDA prohibit certain food additives known as ortho-phthalates from use in food packaging and food handling equipment. The chemicals are in a class of chemically- and pharmacologically-related substances used as plasticizers, binders, coating agents, defoamers, gasket closures, and slimicide agents to process and package food. Currently, the agency allows food producers to use certain ortho-phthalates in cellophane, paper, paperboard, and plastics that come in contact with food, subject to approvals that date back to 1985 or before. Under the law, chemicals that are reasonably expected to get into food from their intentional use in materials contacting food are considered “food additives.”
Studies have linked some ortho-phthalates to reproductive, developmental and endocrine health problems. Every ortho-phthalate that has been studied for these types of health effects has been found to pose a risk. From lower IQ in young children to malformation of the male genital tract, the evidence of health effects in humans continues to grow. Nevertheless, with more than half of the ortho-phthalate chemicals approved by FDA lacking any published safety data, the full extent of the threat remains unclear. The Consumer Products Safety Commission recently proposed to ban several FDA approved ortho-phthalates from use in children’s toys, pacifiers, teething rings and other products.
Yesterday’s citizen’s petition builds on a food additive petition filed last week. In response to that petition, FDA agreed to consider withdrawing its approvals of 30 ortho-phthalate food additives. However, the agency claimed that it could not take certain actions—such as banning a chemical’s use as a food additive—in response to a food additive petition, and so it recommended the groups file a citizen’s petition seeking the ban.
Consumer Federation of America joined the Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Center for Environmental Health, Center for Food Safety, Clean Water Action, Earthjustice, Environmental Defense Fund, Improving Kids’ Environment, and Learning Disabilities Association of America in the petitions.
Contact: Thomas Gremillion 202-939-1010
The Consumer Federation of America is a national organization of more than 250 nonprofit consumer groups that was founded in 1968 to advance the consumer interest through research, advocacy, and education.