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You may have seen that recently some of your favorite canned food – or even water bottles – have been labeled “BPA-Free”.
Have you wondered why? Well BPA, or Bisphenol A, is a chemical that is used to make hard, clear plastic and also to line metal food cans to extend the shelf-life of canned food. The issue has recently arisen that BPA may not be healthy for humans. You know, minor details.
Many studies have come out saying that the epoxy coating that BPA creates has been linked to breast cancer, reproductive issues, cell damage, developmental problems, and more.
Despite BPA being labeled as safe by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the early 60’s, in January 2010 the FDA admitted that they had “concerns” about the potential effects of BPA. The concern was on the “effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children”.
This was enough to get the attention of many – and rightfully so. In fact, Canada was the first country to declare BPA a toxic chemical and ban it for food-related use.
Companies and brands throughout the U.S. made a promise to stop using BPA in their products and go BPA-free. However, a study done by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in 2014 found that only 12% of the 252 brands surveyed were using BPA-free cans.
Here is a chart of companies still using BPA:
| A Taste of Thai | Food Club | Old El Paso |
| Andersen’s | Full Circle | Oregon Specialty Fruit |
| Armour | Gordon’s Chesapeake Natural | Pearls |
| Bar Harbor | Goya | Peloponnese |
| Bookbinders Specialties | Green Giant | Pet |
| Brooks | Healthy Choice | Progresso |
| Bruce’s | Herdez | Ranch Style |
| Bush’s | Hormel | Rao’s Homeade |
| Carnation | Hormel Chili | Red Gold |
| Casa Fiesta | Hunt’s Manwich | Red Pack |
| Cento | La Choy | Ro-Tel |
| Chef Boyardee | La Victoria | Rosarita |
| Chi-Chi’s | Libby’s Meats | Sacramento |
| Chincoteague Seafood Brand | Libby’s Pumpkin | Simply Asia |
| Clear Value | Lindsay Olives | Solo Foods |
| Coconut Milk by Andre Prost, Inc. | Lucky Leaf | Spam |
| Del Monte | Magnolia | Stagg Chili |
| Dennisons Chilli | Manischewitz | Thai Kitchen |
| Dining Out | Maria Callender’s | Tuttorusso |
| Dinty Moore | Mario | Valley Fresh |
| Duncan Hines Comstock | Market Pantry (Target) | Valu Time |
| Duncan Hines Wilderness | Matiz Gallego | Vancamp’s |
| Eagle Brand | Musselman’s | White House Foods |
| Early California | Nalley | Wolf Brand Chilli |
| Embasa | Neptune | Wolfgang Puck Organic Soups |
| Field Day | Ocean Spray | World Classics |
The issue still remains that there is no industry standard on the definition of BPA-free, so even though products are labeled as such, they may still contain the chemical.
And when asked by the EWG, some companies were vague about what they are using instead of BPA. Some, like Annie’s, are using a polyester material. And others, like Bumble Bee, are using a “blend of vinyl and polyester resin”.
And out of the 252 brands, only 31 were using BPA-free cans for all of their products:
| Ace of Diamonds | Gluten Free Café | Natural Sea |
| American Tuna | Healthy Valley | Pillar Rock |
| Amy’s | Health Valley Organic | Port Clyde |
| Beach Cliff | Imagine | Raincoast Trading |
| Bearitos | Jaunita’s | Read |
| Bionaturae | Jyoti Natural Foods | Seneca |
| Earth’s Best Organic | Kins Oscar | Sprouts Farmers Market |
| Earthpure | Lucini Italia | Tyson |
| Farmer’s Market | Muir Glen | Walnut Acres |
| Genova | Native Forest | Westbrae Natural |
So to be safe for now, it’s recommended that you limit or avoid using canned foods. When possible, buy fresh of frozen alternatives or products in glass or cardboard containers.
What do you think? Have you been purchasing BPA-free products or do you disagree with the findings?
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Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.
