We all really want to avoid the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A (BPA), but it can be difficult to navigate the grocery store aisles without accidentally putting a brand that still uses BPA in your cart. To help with this, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has released a new report analyzing which brands continue to line their cans with BPA.
Some of the brands are surprising; some not so much. However, the number of brands using BPA is shocking. According to the EWG:
“78 brands, or 31 percent, used BPA-lined cans for all products. About 46 percent of the brands in this group did not say whether they were working with can suppliers or packaging manufacturers to shift to BPA-free cans or to test substitutes.
43 percent of all brands gave ambiguous or incomplete answers to questions about their use of BPA and/or did not respond to EWG’s queries.
Companies that said they had eliminated BPA or were in the process of doing so did not disclose the substitutes they were using, an omission that had the effect of slowing scientific study of the possible hazards of these substitute materials. Only 13 brands volunteered even a vague description of the alternative can coatings they use.”
BPA has been linked to breast cancer, heart problems, low sex drive, strange food intolerances, spikes in blood pressure, and even excess weight around the belly.
Read: 7 Nasty Effects of BPA – The Plastic Chemical
The global canned food market will be worth more than $100 billion dollars by 2020, but they stand to lose a lot of that market share if we stop buying their health-compromising products.
Amy’s Kitchen, Inc. sets the gold standard. It uses BPA-free cans for ALL its canned goods and makes this policy transparent on its website. The company also just received approval to build one of the first non-GMO, organic, fast-food drive-thru’s right across the street from a dying mega-company’s golden arches (McDonald’s).
Here are the companies you should avoid if you don’t want hormone-mimicking, endocrine-disrupting chemicals wrecking your health:
Written by Christina Sarich for Natural Society, June 11, 2015.
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