Photo by JoshBerglund19/Flickr CC
Here's a good reason why food manufacturers don't want to test for harmful chemicals. If you test, you might find something you don't want to.
Consumer Reports did just that. It tested a bunch of canned juices, soups, tuna, and green beans and found bisphenol A (BPA) in almost all of them--even the ones labeled organic or bisphenol A-free.
BPA, you may recall, is a chemical in polycarbonate plastics that acts as an endocrine disruptor. How harmful is it? Debate rages. These new data will add to the debate.
CR says it found the highest levels of BPA in some samples of canned green beans and canned soups:
• Canned Del Monte Fresh Cut Green Beans Blue Lake had the highest amount of BPA for a single sample in Consumer Reports tests, with levels ranging from 35.9 parts per billon (ppb) to 191 ppb. Progresso Vegetable Soup BPA levels ranged from 67 to 134 ppb. Campbell's Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup had BPA levels ranging from 54.5 to 102 ppb.
• Average amounts in tested products varied widely. In most items tested, such as canned corn, chili, tomato sauce, and corned beef, BPA levels ranged from trace amounts to about 32 ppb.
Because it was particularly concerned about BPA exposure for infants and young children, it tested samples of infant formula and apple juice. It found:
• Similac liquid concentrate in a can averaged 9 ppb of BPA, but there was no measurable level in the powdered version.
• Nestlé Juicy Juice in a can averaged 9.7 ppb of BPA, but there were no measurable levels in the samples of the same product packaged in juice boxes.
Although the BPA in Nestlé Juicy Juice averaged 9 ppb, this was not so high, but children consume a lot of juice so this levels worries the testers.
While waiting for the experts to decide just how bad a problem BPA might be for adults and children, Consumer Reports recommends reducing the risk:
• Choose fresh food whenever possible.
• Consider alternatives to canned food, beverages, juices, and infant formula.
• Use glass containers when heating food in microwave ovens.
I would add to this: urge the FDA to finish up its scientific review right away. It would be good to know more about just how harmful BPA is, and at what levels.
I love the industry response to this report: "The use of bisphenol A (BPA) in can linings is both safe and vital for food protection."
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It would also be useful if the FDA could test the extent to which the practice of rinsing some canned foods, e.g., beans, reduces BPA concentrations. We have rinsed foods like this to eliminate some of the extra sodium that is frequently contained in canned goods. Obviously, that is no a practical measure when it comes to goods such as soup and pasta sauce. Do data sets exist concerning the effects of BPA from tests conducted elsewhere?
I believe there are other studies, similar to those conducted about DDT being safe for humans, like they did back in the 40s and 50s, that they rescinded when people were exposed to these chemicals and their health began to deteriorate.
These canned food manufacturers should be liable for any damages incurred to the unsuspecting public-- these tests results are truly astonishing! Has frequent exposure to BPA shown to affect humans in any fashion?
My fiancee prefers to eat canned vegetables since she feels they are cheaper than fresh. I'm a diabetic and have to eat more fresh food and less pre-prepared foods. I have been concerned about this for some time, but have not seen anything done. I sincerely hope someone gets to these manufacturers for FALSE ADVERTISING calling BPA-Free products are not BPA-Free, many averaging 20 ppb.
I thought canned and plastic-bottled food was SAFE! Apparently not!
Too bad there's no regulation to remove BPA in our food and in the manufacturing of canned goods and plastics we use for storing our foods.
There are some plastics that are safe and free of BPA. Search for BPA-Free plastics and buy those. Though purchasing glass-packaged products and cooking in glass helps to protect you from this chemical threat.