A few months ago, I blogged about how organic canned food is loaded with bisphenol-A (BPA) just the same as cheap canned foods from the supermarket. Why do we want to avoid BPA? This chemical is an estrogen mimicker which wreaks havoc on our hormones and is one of the prime suspects in the ever plummeting age at which young girls are going into puberty.
I read an article recently that as many as 10 in 100 white girls, 15 in 100 Hispanic girls, and 25 in 100 African American girls are experiencing breast development as early as 7 years old!
This is a shocking and serious problem not only because of the adult issues it forces upon mere children but also because of the fact that the earlier a girl goes into puberty, the higher her chances of breast cancer later in life.
BPA also harms boys by increasing the chances for ADHD, urogenital abnormalities, prostate problems, and lower semen quality as adults.
BPA is also linked with the obesity epidemic, Type 2 diabetes. The list goes on …..
Parents simply MUST take steps to protect their children from this chemical onslaught by choosing foods that will not disrupt the delicate hormonal balance during their formative years!
Which Organic Canned Foods are BPA Free?
The good news is that some organic canned food companies are switching to BPA free cans.
In one of my cooking e-classes last month, I mentioned Muir Glen as one of the companies that currently had BPA free cans.
Well, I stand corrected.
While Muir Glen is planning to transition to BPA free cans in the near future, its current can liner is not BPA free.
According to the company, Muir Glen cans have a 2 1/2 year shelf life so it “may be a while” before the BPA free cans are on the shelf.
Customer care representative Alexandria Richards claims that the new liner is “safe” and the new cans will be recyclable.
The company also states that the BPA free can labels will not mention that the can liner is BPA free.
This seems like a really dumb marketing move to me. BPA is a big issue for health conscious consumers. Wouldn’t it be smart for an organic foods company that makes the move to BPA free cans to TRUMPET this info on the label?
Since there is no firm date for release of the new Muir Glen cans and the BPA free cans won’t be acknowledged on the label, it seems to me that a switch to another organic food company that uses BPA free cans is wise.
In my shopping, I have switched to Eden Organics for the canned foods I do buy (which isn’t many). Eden Organics has been using a BPA free liner since 1999.
Don’t you just love a company like Eden Organics that makes the switch to BPA free cans just because it is the right thing to do and long before consumer pressure forces its hand which is how all the other organic canned food producers are behaving (yes, I’m talking about you Muir Glen)?
The steel cans used to package Eden Organics products are lined with a baked-on c-enamel that is made of a non-toxic mixture of an oil and a resin from plants such as pine or balsam fir. The downside is that products in BPA free cans cost more, so not only will the consumer have to pay more for the organic food inside of the can, but also more for the can itself!
ALL Organic Canned Tomato Products Still Use BPA
Please note that ALL organic canned tomato products, even Eden Organics, are still packaged in BPA cans. This is because the FDA has not approved a BPA free can for acidic foods as of yet although I am told that this process is in the works.
So for now, consumers must choose tomato products that are packaged in glass to avoid BPA. I’ve been using the brand Bionaturae for this very reason.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
* This post is shared at Real Food Wednesday and Pennywise Platter.
According to the Costco rep on the phone, their kirkland organic tomato products are bpa free.
BPA free is almost always a bait and switch to a chemical almost exactly the same … BPS. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/bpa-free/
I can’t stand Muir Glen, they were bought out by a big Agra type company a while ago. I shop politically and REFUSE to by from big Agra.
I wrote to them about this and received a similar response
Unfortunately many of the smaller organic companies have been bought out by big Agra type companies so that limits what I can buy
Eden Foods, Jovial, bionaturae and Bella Terra carry most of what I’m looking and what I can not buy from them, or others like them, I just make myself
I stopped buying most foods in cans a few years ago and was happy to find a good selection of Eden Foods at one of my usual online shopping sites (which often has sales), along with Jovial products and Bionaturae tomato products in glass. I’m fortunate to have a nearby and well-stocked health market. I pay more but, even on a retirement budget, I give priority to our food. (Like Anonymous, I quit supporting Muir Glen.)
So Loblaws PC organic canned products that don’t have BPA free on can are no good??? I don’t get it if it’s organic why can it in PBA cans? It’s getting more difficult to shop and need more time to read every lable.
Glass is a good option, but the lid can be coated with BPA. Minimize exposure by NOT scraping the product off the lid.
There’s also Jovial. They have a lot of tomato products in glass jars as well.
Wegman’s is great if you live in an area which has Wegmans. Wisconsin does not.
Here’s a question for everyone who is organic &/or BPA free conscious. Regular, domestic, brine-packed black (ripe) olive. I have never seen them in anything except standard (non BPA free) cans. Black olives in jars are usually imported, Kalamata, or otherwise “special” and expensive. Have also never seen organic black olives. Anybody have different experience or suggestions?
I was told by the mgr of my local health store in Va Beach that he called and found that Cadia brand organics (I get that at the health store) use BPA-free cans in many of their products -see website FAQs (mycadia.com/faq.php) but do not list that either! What’s with that? I wrote them from their site to ask them to please list it.
I’ve been on the hunt for some organic canned foods and the only kind i’ve been able to find locally are at wegmans. Though they may carry other brands of organic canned foods, I would have passed over them after a price-comparison with the Wegmans brand organic canned foods. I just looked on their website and read that the company has stopped using BPA in their organic and non-organic canned foods (wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=10052&identifier=CATEGORY_1481#bisphenol)
Just wanted to share my findings for others.
I’m not sure when this article was written ,but Muir Glen now offers BPA free cans as does Aunt Annie’s. I don’t buy many canned items but the small Muir Glenn tomato sauce cans are BPA free and so are Aunt Annie’s soups. I also buy Eden organic or Westbrae Natural beans..both BPA free.