we “prevented consumers from moving towards healthy products”, denounces the UFC-Que Choisir

15 agri-food groups were sanctioned on Thursday for not having revealed the presence of the endocrine disruptor. “All bisphenols A, B and C which are potentially considered dangerous, must be banned immediately,” argues the consumer defense association.

“This type of agreement is extremely worrying and absolutely scandalous”, reacted Thursday January 11, 2024 on franceinfo Olivier Andrault, agriculture and food project manager at UFC-Que Choisir. 15 agri-food players, including Bonduelle, D’Aucy and Unilever, were fined a total of 19.5 million euros for agreeing between 2010 and 2015 not to communicate “on the presence or not” of the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A in their cans and cans, announced the Competition Authority in a press release.

“Bisphenol A is a compound that has been widely used, it was found in the varnish of cans and cans. It is particularly worrying in terms of its impact on health, so much so that the European Authority of food safety, last April, indicated that it was necessary to divide consumer exposure to this substance by 20,000″added Olivier Andrault.

Apply “precautionary principles”

This agreement therefore deprived consumers of important information, believes Olivier Andrault. “It is all the more scandalous since at that time, there was packaging on the market both with and without bisphenol A, so consumers were prevented from choosing healthy products.. “Our request is that the European and French authorities implement the precautionary principles” prohibiting “from now on all bisphenols A, B and C which are potentially considered dangerous, they must be banned now without further delay”he insists.

“What is in a certain way with this agreement is that we prevented good students from communicating about the effort they had made to get rid of bisphenol A.”

Olivier Andrault, from UFC-Que Choisir

on franceinfo

Eleven companies “pursued as members of these bodies” and for their “participation in the cartel” were also sanctioned. These are the canners Andros, Bonduelle, Charles et Alice, Cofigeo, Conserves France, D’Aucy, General Mills and Unilever, as well as the can suppliers Ardagh, Crown and Massilly. Contacted by AFP, the Association of Processed Food Products Companies (Adepale) and the Federation of Preserved Food Industries (Fiac) announced that they were going to appeal. They talk about a decision they “strongly contest”.