The head of sustainability for the Co-operative, Paul Monaghan, admitted he had been in talks with the supermarket’s far eastern suppliers over the presence of bisphenol A in till receipts.

Mr Monaghan, who was speaking at the Environment Agency’s annual conference in London yesterday (November 24) briefly mentioned the presence of bisphenol A, also known as BPA during his presentation.

Although, his mention was quick he was questioned on it by a member of the audience and further pushed by the conference chair BBC environment analyst Roger Harrabin.

BPA, which was declared a toxic substance in Canada only in September this year, has been linked to causing development problems with unborn children.

It has, in the past, been widely used in consumer products, but scientific tests highlighted concerns about it in 2007 and since 2008 it has been mostly removed from consumer products.

Responding to the questions from the floor and Mr Harrabin Mr Monaghan said he would demand BPA was removed.

He said: “I say to the suppliers get rid of it, then we have a discussion. The start point is, if I can get rid of it, I will.”

 
After the conference Mr Monaghan told edie: “We’re looking to establish whether it’s there and then we’ll look at issues around removing it.”

Luke Walsh

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