WASHINGTON — You could be getting more from that can of vegetables than vitamins and minerals.
The Environmental Working Group’s survey of more than 250 brands reveals that 110 brands still line their metal cans with bisphenol A, or BPA.
Banned by the Food and Drug Administration from baby bottles and children’s drinking cups in 2012, BPA is one of the most contentious chemicals on the market.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that while BPA has been shown to affect the reproductive systems of laboratory animals, more research is needed to understand how exposure to BPA affects human health.
Chemical companies that manufacture the product, and those in the plastic industry, say it is safe at its current levels of exposure. Researchers, environmental health organizations and public health professionals, on the other hand, argue that the estrogen-mimicking chemical is not.
“It’s a hormone disrupter and it really is toxic to a variety of end points,” says Samara Geller, database analyst with EWG.
What is BPA doing in canned foods?
BPA, essentially, helps to harden plastic. Because of this, it can be found in a number of products, such as reusable food containers, water bottles, plastic toys and, yes, metal cans.
“It’s basically [in cans] to protect the food from reacting with the can and having weird stuff happen,” says Renee Sharp, a research director at EWG.
It helps to prevent metal corrosion and holds up to the heat extremes of sterilization. Sharp adds BPA is quite good at its job when it comes to keeping can foods stable, which is why it’s been so widely used for so long.
“The problem, of course, is that BPA, the chemical, can leach into the food. And we now know that low levels of BPA can cause a variety of problems,” she says.
According to the CDC, there’s been widespread exposure to BPA in the U.S. population. Between 2003 and 2004, scientists measured BPA in the urine of 2,517 participants and found the chemical in “nearly all of the people tested.”
Over the years, more consumers have grown cautious when it comes to BPA. In response to growing concern, some manufacturers of plastic containers and children’s toys have started making their products without BPA and labeling these products as such.
However, there is no federal regulation requiring products to be labeled, and cans, especially, haven’t been as quick to catch on to voluntary labeling.
“It’s really the Wild, Wild West of canned food out there,” Geller says. “We’re really trying to call attention to the issue and bring structure to the whole thing.”
EWG says the prevalence of BPA in cans is concerning because canned goods are an affordable and convenient way for many low-income families to consume essential nutrients. The New York Times reports that nutrient values in canned produce are often as good as fresh or frozen produce, as long as it is free of added salt and sugar.
EWG found brands such as Bush’s, Del Monte, Ocean Spray, Libby’s Pumpkin, Healthy Choice and Goya to be among those still lining all of their canned products with BPA. Higher-end products such as Wolfgang Puck Organic Soups and Rao’s Homemade are also on the list of brands using BPA.
“It’s really not correlated to whether the product is wholesome on any other level; it’s really a stand-alone factor,” Geller says.
Amy’s, Annie’s Homegrown, Earth’s Best Organic and Muir Glen are a few of the 31 brands surveyed that do not use BPA to line their cans.
Geller says some of the brands EWG spoke with reported that they are in the process of switching their cans to BPA-free alternatives, such as a Tetra Pak carton packaging or glass. Not all companies using BPA-free cans were willing to share what they’re using in its place, which is also concerning to some.
“We want to be sure that the replacement chemicals used in its place are safer and right now we don’t have that assurance,” says EWG’s Sharp.
