Contaminated Without Consent: New Report Reveals BPA in Canned Foods

Mike Schade, PVC Campaign Coordinator for the Center for Health Environment & Justice (CHEJ), notified us of a brand new report released today on BPA in canned foods.  CHEJ co-authored the report, No Silver Lining, which found toxic bisphenol A (BPA) in canned foods like green beans and chicken noodle soup.

CHEJ tested a wide variety of products, including fish, fruits, vegetables, soups, and more, and found BPA in foods from 92% of the cans they tested. The new report reveals that BPA is a routine contaminant in canned foods.

Shockingly – one canned food – DelMonte green beans - had the highest levels of BPA ever found in canned foods  at 1,140 parts per billion.  The new report shows that real-life meals involving one or more cans of food can cause an individual to ingest levels of BPA that have been shown to cause health effects in laboratory studies.  BPA has no place in our food – exposure to even low doses have been linked to many different disesases. BPA has been linked to cancer, diabetes and heart disease, infertility, and early puberty, a known risk factor for breast cancer.

Take Action!

This  situation will only change if we urge manufacturers to continue searching for a viable BPA-free can lining. There are several companies moving in the right direction now such as General Mills, who is working on a BPA alternative for their Muir Glen Organic Tomato Cans. 

1. Read the report, and educate yourself and your family
2. Urge your Senator to support national legislation to ban BPA in food and drink containers.
3. What to eat? We encourage individuals to purchase fresh foods (especially locally grown!) whenever possible followed by frozen or dried foods. If packaged foods are needed, choose glass, aseptic packages, or less toxic plastic containers when possible.
4. Talk to your local grocery store manager, and ask them to phase out BPA in their canned food!
5. Forward this on to your friends and family
6. Support companies who already provide BPA-free cans.

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