Buyer beware

The Cans Not Cancer and Mind the Store BPA-based epoxy being used by national brands campaigns, along with Environmental Defence and retailers, and the extent to which those compa- (Canada), also surveyed leading national brands nies have studied the safety of these materials and the largest retailers of canned food to find out 2. Present a summary of dozens of can coating what policies they have [...] Our findings Buyer Beware Toxic BPA and regrettable substitutes found in the linings of canned food 7 RECOMMENDATIONS Until we see federal policy reform and voluntary market-based solutions that provide people with the The continued presence of BPA — and potentially information they need to make safe and informed unsafe alternatives — in the lining of canned foods purchases of canned food, we reco [...] We also wanted to deter- can linings remains unclear, as can-lining suppliers are mine what replacement materials for BPA-based not being transparent about the full chemical identity or epoxy are being used by retailers and manufacturers safety of the linings they offer; and 6) the federal system and the extent to which those companies have for regulating the safety of the chemicals in canned food [...] Buyer Beware Toxic BPA and regrettable substitutes found in the linings of canned food 9 In private-label brands of major retailers, the results were equally troubling: The vast majority of the cans we analyzed carrying the banners of such popular In aggregate, 62 percent retailers as Kroger, Albertsons, Walmart and Target of retailers’ private-label tested positive for BPA-based epoxy. [...] The risk of tested have detectable levels of BPA in their urine6,7, these effects is heightened in the case of prenatal and suggesting that people are consistently exposed and early-life exposures to BPA, when organs are devel- re-exposed to BPA through the chemical’s presence in oping, rapidly growing and differentiating.