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There's good news and bad news for health-conscious consumers: of 252 brands that make canned foods, less than 50 percent use bisphenol-A (BPA) lined cans for some or all of their products--but just barely, according to a new survey by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released Wednesday.
With 109 companies not responding, that number could be even higher. The EWG focused on brands that produce "classic" canned foods--"vegetables, fruits, juices, beans, soups, stews and other canned meals, deli goods, tomatoes, sauces, meat, fish and shellfish, canned milk, coconut milk and desserts."
"Disturbingly, consumers have no reliable way of knowing whether a canned food item is BPA-free," EWG wrote in its report, titled BPA in Canned Foods: Behind the Brand Curtain (pdf).
Federal regulations do not require canned goods to disclose BPA-based linings. The material, which is a synthetic estrogen, has been linked to breast cancer, reproductive damage, developmental problems, heart disease, and other issues, EWG noted.
Among the brands that are completely BPA-free are Amy's Kitchen, the Hain Celestial Group, and Sprouts Farmers Market. Those who did use BPA-lined cans include Nestle USA, Target's Market Pantry, and Bush's.
EWG took stock of independent labels as well as global chains and found that:
"The U.S. canning industry is at a critical turning point," EWG stated on Wednesday. "The public cannot rely on current federal laws that regulate chemicals and food additives to ensure that BPA replacement chemicals are safer than BPA-based materials."
Samara Geller, an EWG database analyst, said in a statement on Wednesday that the "biggest problem is that people have no reliable way of knowing whether they are buying food that is laced with this toxic chemical."
EWG director of research Renee Sharp added, "Many people on tight budgets or with little access to fresh food rely on canned food as a source of nutrients. That's why we need to get this right. We need a clear national standard that limits the use of BPA in canned food and improves transparency so that people can know when and if they are ingesting this harmful chemical."
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There's good news and bad news for health-conscious consumers: of 252 brands that make canned foods, less than 50 percent use bisphenol-A (BPA) lined cans for some or all of their products--but just barely, according to a new survey by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released Wednesday.
With 109 companies not responding, that number could be even higher. The EWG focused on brands that produce "classic" canned foods--"vegetables, fruits, juices, beans, soups, stews and other canned meals, deli goods, tomatoes, sauces, meat, fish and shellfish, canned milk, coconut milk and desserts."
"Disturbingly, consumers have no reliable way of knowing whether a canned food item is BPA-free," EWG wrote in its report, titled BPA in Canned Foods: Behind the Brand Curtain (pdf).
Federal regulations do not require canned goods to disclose BPA-based linings. The material, which is a synthetic estrogen, has been linked to breast cancer, reproductive damage, developmental problems, heart disease, and other issues, EWG noted.
Among the brands that are completely BPA-free are Amy's Kitchen, the Hain Celestial Group, and Sprouts Farmers Market. Those who did use BPA-lined cans include Nestle USA, Target's Market Pantry, and Bush's.
EWG took stock of independent labels as well as global chains and found that:
"The U.S. canning industry is at a critical turning point," EWG stated on Wednesday. "The public cannot rely on current federal laws that regulate chemicals and food additives to ensure that BPA replacement chemicals are safer than BPA-based materials."
Samara Geller, an EWG database analyst, said in a statement on Wednesday that the "biggest problem is that people have no reliable way of knowing whether they are buying food that is laced with this toxic chemical."
EWG director of research Renee Sharp added, "Many people on tight budgets or with little access to fresh food rely on canned food as a source of nutrients. That's why we need to get this right. We need a clear national standard that limits the use of BPA in canned food and improves transparency so that people can know when and if they are ingesting this harmful chemical."
There's good news and bad news for health-conscious consumers: of 252 brands that make canned foods, less than 50 percent use bisphenol-A (BPA) lined cans for some or all of their products--but just barely, according to a new survey by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released Wednesday.
With 109 companies not responding, that number could be even higher. The EWG focused on brands that produce "classic" canned foods--"vegetables, fruits, juices, beans, soups, stews and other canned meals, deli goods, tomatoes, sauces, meat, fish and shellfish, canned milk, coconut milk and desserts."
"Disturbingly, consumers have no reliable way of knowing whether a canned food item is BPA-free," EWG wrote in its report, titled BPA in Canned Foods: Behind the Brand Curtain (pdf).
Federal regulations do not require canned goods to disclose BPA-based linings. The material, which is a synthetic estrogen, has been linked to breast cancer, reproductive damage, developmental problems, heart disease, and other issues, EWG noted.
Among the brands that are completely BPA-free are Amy's Kitchen, the Hain Celestial Group, and Sprouts Farmers Market. Those who did use BPA-lined cans include Nestle USA, Target's Market Pantry, and Bush's.
EWG took stock of independent labels as well as global chains and found that:
"The U.S. canning industry is at a critical turning point," EWG stated on Wednesday. "The public cannot rely on current federal laws that regulate chemicals and food additives to ensure that BPA replacement chemicals are safer than BPA-based materials."
Samara Geller, an EWG database analyst, said in a statement on Wednesday that the "biggest problem is that people have no reliable way of knowing whether they are buying food that is laced with this toxic chemical."
EWG director of research Renee Sharp added, "Many people on tight budgets or with little access to fresh food rely on canned food as a source of nutrients. That's why we need to get this right. We need a clear national standard that limits the use of BPA in canned food and improves transparency so that people can know when and if they are ingesting this harmful chemical."