According to the FDA, 17% of the American diet comes from canned foods, and many of those have an epoxy liner made with Bisphenol A. The Environmental Working Group , the Globe and Mail, and CTV all tested canned food and found BPA in more than half of them, leaching more than double the amount of BPA of baby bottles and Nalgenes. Tomato sauce had 18.2 parts per billion, kid’s ravioli 6.2 ppb and tomato juice 14.1 ppb
In the Globe and Mail:
Less than half a cup of tomato sauce or a cup of chicken noodle soup would exceed the lowest dose found in recent research to have an adverse effect on animals.
From Treehugger:
5 Ways to Beat BPA from Canned Food:
Don’t use canned baby formula: All U.S. manufacturers use BPA-based lining on the metal portions of the formula containers. If you must use formula, choose powered or liquid in plastic bottles.
Don’t eat canned food if you are pregnant. the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says “We don’t want to tell people not to eat canned beans or tomatoes,” said CSPI nutritionist David Schardt. “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.”
Buy in bottles, not cans. Many products, like tomato sauces, are available in bottles as well as cans. Does that white epoxy on the inside of the metal lid have BPA? Probably, but there is a lot less surface area than the whole inside of a can.
Start cooking instead of just heating. The fact that 17% of the American diet comes out of cans is just a scandal when we are surrounded by fresh food. Cook it from scratch and avoid the problem altogether.
Demand BPA-free cans. See a list of common brands at Organic Grace.
