The trouble with canned food

I know it’s not very foodie of me, but I like canned food. For starters, I’m horrible at making beans from scratch, so grabbing a can of black or pinto makes cooking infinitely easier. And some things–like hearts of palm and black olives–are hard to find fresh or in glass containers. Then there’s the fact that as a busy mom, I don’t always have time to whip up, say, a batch of homemade soup, so I like the option of Campbell’s and Progresso.

In spite of all this, I’ve decided to go on a canned food strike*. As it turns out, almost all cans are lined with a substance containing Bisphenol A (BPA).

The more I read about BPA, the more concerned I am, not only for myself but also for my family. There’s strong research suggesting a link between this chemical and breast cancer. Other studies have shown that it’s an endocrine disruptor, meaning it can cause developmental, reproductive, neurological and immunological problems in fetuses, infants and adults (yikes!). Perhaps most convincingly, I’ve had several top cancer and reproductive medicine specialists tell me that they no longer allow their families to eat canned foods, and that they serve and store their meals in glass rather than plastic because they feel BPA is dangerous and they’re not willing to wait for the government to finally admit it. (The FDA recently began addressing the concerns that health experts and scientists have long held, and says that it’s taking steps to reduce human exposure to BPA–but has yet to actually require food manufacturers to change).

Inexplicably, even health-focused food companies like Amy’s still use BPA linings in their canned goods (mostly likely because it’s cheaper than the BPA-free alternatives). The exception to the rule: Eden Organic. This stellar company packs their beans in BPA-free lined cans, even though it costs them more to do so and they swallow that expense instead of passing it on to the consumer. For this reason, I’m going to go out of my way to buy their products–and I hope you will too.

Here’s more food for thought about BPA:

• Sign a petition to ban BPA from food containers.
• Read senator Dianne Feinstein’s thoughts on BPA.
• Check out this excellent blog post, which encouraged me to write about this topic.
• And lastly, the New York Times has a bit of history as well as information about the FDA’s recent interest in BPA.

–Camille

*When I do opt for canned, it will only be Eden.