France probes Nestlé, 100 other firms over bisphenol-A use

The French government is investigating 101 companies, including Nestlé, for not disclosing their use of bisphenol-A in food packaging.

In its statement of objections, France’s competition authority accused the 101 companies and 14 trade associations of agreeing “not to communicate" on the presence or the composition of certain materials in contact with food, to the detriment of consumers.

While the statement did not identify Nestlé, the Swiss multinational food and drink conglomerate said it would “vigorously contest” the allegation.

Studies linked Bisphenol-A, a hardening agent for plastic used to coat the interior of food and beverage cans, to cancers in laboratory animals.

France banned Bisphenol-A from food packaging in 2015, but it is still legally used in the US for everything except baby formula.