To help food and beverage manufacturers maintain compliance with California’s Proposition 65 regulation following the recent addition of bisphenol A (BPA) that goes into effect May 11, the Grocery Manufacturers Association has created a database for companies to list products that contain the compound.

California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) implemented an emergency regulation on April 18 that requires manufacturers provide in-store warning signs to retailers about exposure to BPA from products sold in the state. This program provides an option for industry to work together to provide warnings in stores, instead of removing products from store shelves or changing the labels of food and beverage products that use BPA in their packaging or may otherwise expose consumers to BPA.

Under the California regulation, manufacturers must provide warning signs to retail outlets at no cost to the retailer. GMA and several other related trade associations have established an online store, www.prop65signmanagement.com, where retailers can order the signs and have them shipped free of charge. In addition, a public database at www.prop65bpa.org provides both retailers and consumers with an easy way to identify which products the warning signs apply to.