Lately, you may have heard about the growing problems related to plastic food containers. Many contain the chemical BPA (Bisphenol A) which is known to leach from the containers and ends up in the urine of people that drink or eat from them. Studies have shown that BPA acts as an endocrine disruptor in animals, including early onset of sexual maturation, altered development and tissue organization of the mammary gland, and decreased sperm production in offspring.
It may be most harmful in the stages of early development and this is why the State of Washington recently announced that they are seeking a ban on BPA, most importantly for baby bottles where it is most present.
Prior to this announcement by WA State, however, a independent study by Consumer Reports found that BPA is present in most all canned goods, too. It was found in the white liners of the cans. WHAT!!!??? I have always enjoyed the convenience of canned tomatoes and beans, but now I'm concerned. What to do? I've made the switch to organic for the "dirty dozen", but I certainly don't have time to can my own tomatoes. So, I did a thorough search for BPA free options and here's what I found:
Canned beans - Eden Organic states that no BPA is used in their canned beans
Canned tomatoes - Due to the acidity of tomatoes, nobody, including Eden Organic is able to can them without BPA. The only real option I have found are tomatoes packed in a tetra pack. There are not many brands, but one I can find fairly easily is the Pomi brand. A bit more expensive than canned tomatoes, but very tasty and may be worth the expense if you regularly use canned tomatoes and want to get away from too much BPA.
There you have it! Food for thought...as always.
Happy and safe cooking :-)
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