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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Health & Science

Indonesia tightens BPA limit 12-fold, putting reusable water jugs under scrutiny

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Approved/passed
  • Indonesia’s BPOM lowered the permitted migration limit for Bisphenol A in polycarbonate food packaging from 0.6 to 0.05 milligrams per kilogram.
  • The new rule requires reusable plastic containers, including refillable drinking-water jugs, to undergo migration testing three times.
  • Officials welcomed the tighter standard but said regular laboratory testing, transparent monitoring and enforcement will determine its effectiveness.

Indonesia’s food and drug authority has cut the permitted migration of Bisphenol A, or BPA, from polycarbonate packaging by twelve times, bringing refillable drinking-water jugs into sharper focus.

Under BPOM Regulation No. 11 of 2026, the limit falls from 0.6 milligrams per kilogram to 0.05 milligrams per kilogram. BPA is used in some polycarbonate containers, including the hard plastic commonly used for reusable water jugs. Migration refers to the movement of chemicals from packaging into food or drinks.

The regulation also introduces a specific requirement for containers used repeatedly. Packaging such as refillable jugs must undergo testing of chemical transfer into food or drink three times. BPOM chief Taruna Ikrar said the revision followed developments in food-safety science and global regulations.

BPOM reviewed the maximum BPA migration limit in line with developments in food safety and global regulations. The revised requirements for the maximum BPA migration limit have now been established in BPOM Regulation No. 11 of 2026 on Food Packaging.

— Taruna IkrarThe BPOM chief explained the reason for lowering the permitted BPA migration level.

“BPOM reviewed the maximum BPA migration limit in line with developments in food safety and global regulations. The revised requirements for the maximum BPA migration limit have now been established in BPOM Regulation No. 11 of 2026 on Food Packaging,” Taruna said in a written interview.

Muhammad Mufti Mubarok, chairman of the National Consumer Protection Agency, welcomed the tighter rule. “This is a positive step,” he said. But he argued that the numerical limit alone would not guarantee better protection. He called for regular laboratory testing, transparent publication of monitoring results, oversight of products on the market, and procedures for complaints and product recalls when violations are found.

The regulation also provides special protection for babies and children under three. It bans BPA in bottles and other plastic products that come into direct contact with food or drinks for those age groups.

This is a positive step.

— Muhammad Mufti MubarokThe National Consumer Protection Agency chairman welcomed the tighter BPA rules.
About this summary

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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