On 20 July 2026, the general sell-through deadline arrives for Regulation (EU) 2024/3190.
We are reporting this because it is a fact, and because it is being widely misunderstood. We are not going to attach a health claim to it, and we would ask you to be sceptical of anyone who does.
What the regulation does
Adopted in December 2024, it prohibits the use of bisphenol A in materials and articles intended to come into contact with food.
And — this is the part that is getting less attention — it also restricts other bisphenols and bisphenol derivatives, rather than only the one that consumers had learned to recognise.
The scope explicitly includes reusable food containers and drinking bottles, alongside can coatings, kitchenware and food-processing equipment.
Transition periods vary by application. The general sell-through window for most food-contact articles closes on 20 July 2026.
Why the “other bisphenols” part matters
When BPA fell out of favour in the early 2010s, manufacturers responded with “BPA-free” products. In many cases the substitute was another bisphenol — bisphenol S, bisphenol F — which is chemically related, structurally similar, and much less studied.
A container made with bisphenol S is, truthfully and legally, BPA-free.
The new regulation goes after the substitutes as well as the original. That is a notable thing for a regulator to do, and it tells you something about how much the original reassurance was worth.
That is as far as we will go. We are not telling you that anyone was harmed, or that bisphenol S is dangerous. We do not know that, and neither does anyone else with certainty — which is rather the point. We are telling you what the regulation says, and letting you draw your own conclusion.
What it means for what is in your cupboard
The regulation governs what can be placed on the market. It does not require anyone to throw anything away, and we are not suggesting you do.
If a container you own works and you are comfortable with it, keep it. Replacing functioning things is its own kind of waste, and we have written honestly about why steel is not automatically the greener choice.
Our position, for the avoidance of doubt
There is no plastic in a Stainless Co. container, so there is nothing here for this regulation to prohibit. That is a fact about our materials, not a virtue we are claiming.
And we will not be printing “BPA-free” on anything, before or after 20 July. It is the incumbents’ word, it describes an absence rather than a substance, and it has now been walked back by the regulator that once made it necessary.
We would rather tell you what is in the product.
Two materials. Both named.
304 food-grade stainless steel, and one food-grade silicone seal. That is the entire list, across everything we sell — lids and bottle caps included.
A list of what is in something never needs revising when a compound falls out of favour. There is nothing to substitute.
Food should be stored without doubt.
Source: Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/3190. This article is a summary for general information and is not legal advice. Businesses affected by the regulation should consult the text directly.