Toxic additive BPA found in 2/3 of canned foods

rt.com

Endocrine-disrupting chemical Bisphenol-A was found in 67 percent of canned food products of top brands – including Campbell's and Del Monte – according to a new report. Some companies have since announced a phasing-out of the toxic chemical.

"Our findings were alarming," wrote the authors of the study, titled Buyer Beware. Of the 192 cans examined, 129 tested positive for BPA-based epoxy, though quantity levels were not included in the analysis. In addition, the study reported that "some retailers and brands have replaced BPA with PVC, made from vinyl chloride, a carcinogen."

All 15 Campbell's products included the testing contained BPA, the report says. Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of the 14 Del Monte cans tested positive, as did 50 percent of the 12 cans from General Mills, all three of the McCormick & Company cans, and all three of the Nestle Carnation tins.

Of the smaller companies included in the study, all three Empire Company cans and both of the Goya Foods, Ocean Spray, Thai Agri, and Vilore Foods products each tested positive.

Reacting to the study, Campbell's Soup Company vowed to halt use of BPA by mid-2017 in favor of an alternative epoxy. Campbell's said it "began using cans with linings made from acrylic or polyester materials in March 2016 and will continue to introduce the new linings across its US and Canadian portfolio through 2017."

Other companies have followed suit. Del Monte will phase-out BPA in its products, the company said ahead of the study's release. Nestle also plans to move away from BPA by next year, the report said.

“Despite BPA being safe and posing no health risk to consumers, we have made a public commitment to remove it from our packaging materials,"a spokeswoman for Nestle told the Guardian. "We have already eliminated BPA from our packaging for infant foods and are working towards completing the full transition of our product portfolio to non-BPA food contact packaging, where suitable safe alternatives exist."

General Mills, Hormel and J.M. Smucker Company did not indicate a timeline for phasing out BPA, the report said.