BPA Ban 2026: What Beverage Brands Need to Know

The EU has formally banned BPA in food contact packaging with a July 2026 deadline. The UK FSA is following suit. Find out what this means for your beverage brand and how to stay compliant.

The BPA Ban Is Here. Is Your Packaging Ready?

The EU has formally banned BPA in food contact packaging – with a compliance deadline of July 2026. The UK’s FSA is following the same direction. If your beverages are packaged in metal cans or aluminium bottles, this affects you.

What is BPA and Why Does It Matter?

What is BPA- and why are Regulators acting now?

Bisphenol A (BPA) has been widely used for decades in the lacquers and linings of metal cans, aluminium bottles, and plastic containers. It’s what keeps your product protected from corrosion and contamination. But BPA has also been classified as an endocrine disruptor – a substance that can interfere with the body’s hormonal system – and that classification has finally pushed regulators into action.

The EU formally banned BPA from food contact materials in 2024, giving brands until July 2026 to transition. The UK’s FSA has proposed a ban aligned with the EU regulation, with a ministerial decision expected in 2026.

For beverage brands using canned or lined aluminium packaging, the message is clear: time to act is now.

What this Means for Beverage Brands

What the BPA ban means for your beverage business

If your drinks —whether RTD cocktails, soft drinks, energy drinks, waters, or spirits — are packaged in any of the following, you need to review your supply chain:

• Metal cans with BPA-based lacquer linings
• Aluminium bottles with internal coatings
• Plastic containers or closures in food contact applications

If you’re unsure whether your packaging has BPA-free lacquer lining, a packaging audit is critical.

Three Actions for Brand Owners

3 things beverage brand owners should do right now:

1. Audit your packaging

Start by identifying every packaging format across your product lines. Ask your suppliers to confirm in writing whether BPE-based lacquers are used in any components that come into contact with your product. Don’t assume — get documentation.

2. Engage your suppliers

Request formal change controls and transition timelines from your contract fillers and packaging partners. If your supplier hasn’t already started transitioning to BPA-free systems, ask when they will and what the implications are for your SKUs. If they can’t give you a clear answer, consider whether they’re right for the long term.

3. Plan ahead for PPWR and what comes next

The BPA ban is one of a much broader packaging compliance shift. The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) introduces further requirements around recyclability, recycled content, and labelling. Brands that treat BPA compliance as a one-off fix will find themselves repeatedly caught out. Build a compliance roadmap, not a one-time response.

How BlueSky Can Help

How BlueSky is helping beverage brands navigate the BPA transition

At BlueSky, we’ve been transitioning aluminium lines to BPA-free systems for three years — long before the formal ban came into force. That means if you’re sourcing through BlueSky, your future-proofing is already in progress.

For brands currently using BPA-based lacquers, we’re issuing individual change controls directly, so you have full visibility and documentation for your own compliance records. Any remaining products within our portfolio containing BPA-based lacquers will be discontinued for food and beverage applications ahead of the July 2026 deadline.

We’re also helping brands think beyond the BPA ban — planning for the full scope of packaging regulation changes already underway, including PPWR.

Not Sure If Your Packaging Is Compliant?

Drop us a message. Our team can help you audit your current packaging, understand your exposure, and build a transition plan that keeps you compliant — without disrupting your production.

Contact us today:

[email protected]

+44 (0)1472 240940