Toxic Hormone Disrupting Chemical BPA in Canned Food and Drinks
Bisphenol-A (BPA) has gotten a lot of coverage lately in the press, mostly about plastic baby bottles and sippy cups. Unfortunately, there are still no government safety standards nationwide, limiting the amount of Bisphenol-A (BPA) in packaged foods NOT targeted for children.
Starting January 1st, 2010, Minnesota is the first state banning the presence of BPA in food and beverage containers made for children under three-years-old including reusable baby bottles. Connecticut is 2nd state passing similar laws, where the ban will go into effect October 1st, 2011!
Twenty states and four localities have proposed comparable bans on BPA, and are now pending in states like California, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Texas, Vermont and others.
Unfortunately, these laws DO NOT address the exposure to BPA in ‘regular’ packaged food geared towards the general population, young children and pregnant women ALSO frequently eat or drink. Only California legislation proposes a broader ban: no BPA in ALL canned beverages and food containers.
BPA has been linked to birth defects of the male and female reproductive systems, cancer, miscarriages, obesity, early puberty and Type II diabetes.
Want to know how to reduce your risk/exposure? Keeping reading…..
BPA in Canned Food
Most canned foods contain Bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA is used to line the metal of the cans, and this hormone-disrupting chemical leaches into the food and drink it contains.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) senior nutritionist David Schardt says “We don’t want to tell people not to eat canned beans or tomatoes, but at the same time, it makes sense for all parents, and especially pregnant and nursing women, to minimize the exposure of their kids’ developing bodies and brains to BPA. The food industry could make life easier by phasing it out entirely. Why roll the dice and assume that all the studies finding problems with BPA are wrong?”
BPA-Free Canned Food
There is one company who decided over 10 years ago that BPA wasn’t safe for their clients, and removed it from all their products except for tomato sauce (apparently, the FDA hasn’t approved any other type of processing for highly acidic foods, that’s why they’re still using BPA containing cans for tomato sauce!).
Here directly from Eden Organic’s website:
Are Eden Beans packed in cans with enamel lining that contains bisphenol-A?
“No. Eden Organic Beans are packed in steel cans coated with a baked on oleoresinous c-enamel that does not contain the endocrine disruptor chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA). Oleoresin is a natural mixture of an oil and a resin extracted from various plants, such as pine or balsam fir. These cans cost 14% more than the industry standard cans that do contain BPA.
The can maker, Ball Corporation, tells us that Eden is the only U.S. food maker to date to use these BPA free cans and we have been since April 1999.”
How you can avoid or reduce BPA Exposure:
- Buy Organic Fresh Food
- Buy Canned food labeled as BPA-free (if it doesn’t say, don’t buy it!)
- Buy Food in Glass Bottles (like Tomato sauce and Beans) instead of cans! BPA is used in most metal jar lids (including baby food in glass jars), so fresh is best!
- Avoid # 7 Plastics
- Always look for BPA free labels on food packaging
- Buy tuna and salmon in pouches instead of cans
- Buy frozen fruits and veggies if you can’t buy fresh instead of cans
- Don’t buy sodas in cans, choose glass instead or minimize exposure to BPA by choosing plastic bottles, almost all of which are made with easily recyclable and BPA-free polyethylene terephthalate. Bottle caps however can contain BPA!
Demand BPA-Free Cans
Ask your favorite canned food manufacturer to use BPA-free cans like Eden Organics and tell them that you won’t buy them anymore if they don’t switch.
Category: 0-1 yr, 1-3 yrs, 3-5 yrs, 5+ yrs, BPA-Free, Drinking, Feeding
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Do the lids of baby food contain BPA as well?
BPA has been found in glass jar lids of baby food according to a survey by Health Canada, for more info about the survey, please visit: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/pubs/securit/bpa_survey-enquete-eng.php#a5