BPA-Free Cans Are Possible

Photo: Charles Schug/ Istock

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Bisphenol A (BPA) has made headlines in recent months regarding the concern that the chemical, used in hard clear plastics and tin can liners, leads to neural and behavioral impacts in unborn babies, infants, and small children.

Several companies that make polycarbonate baby bottles, such as Playtex, have pledged to phase out the use of BPA, and according to CTV, Canada announced it would move to ban BPA from plastic baby bottles and the linings of cans of infant formula.

But one U.S. food company says BPA-free cans are possible. Eden Foods, a natural and organic food company based in Michigan, would know; it has been using BPA-free cans for a decade.

The company still keeps its acidic tomato-based products in cans with BPA in the lining to extend shelf life, but to get the majority of its goods in BPA-free containers, execs said it was as simple as asking. Eden Foods President Michael Potter is quoted in the article: "We badgered our canned suppliers to come up with an alternative and one of them said they would accommodate us with a bisphenol A-free lining. They ended up with all our business. I did it because I didn't want to be in the loop of providing this contaminant, this toxin, to my children."

Potter said that most canned-good manufacturers would be able to follow his company's lead, since a 15-ounce BPA-free can costs only 2.2 cents more - a small price to pay to avoid harmful effects on the endocrine system.

According to an article on CTV.com, scientists say that during the manufacturing process, when food is put into cans and then heated at high temperatures to kill bacteria, BPA can leach out of the lining and into food.

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