AABCs of BPA, FDA
Extensive internet searching may yield the information we seek, but the process can be long and arduous. Or maybe I just haven’t got the hang of it yet.
My recent quest was for information on bisphenol A (BPA), the plastic used in food can linings. Many studies have shown that BPA and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are endocrine disrupters and, even at low levels, might reduce immunity and affect memory in adults, and cause cancer and irreversible organ damage in fetuses and children. Since 2007, Dr. Andrew Weil has cautioned against using plastic containers for food storage and certain plastic wraps for storing or microwaving fatty foods. I so miss his monthly newsletter.
So why hasn’t the FDA banned the use of BPA in baby bottles and can linings? Because they don’t have to. And possibly because Congress refuses to press issues that irritate the enormously powerful food processing industry. The EU is way ahead of us on this and other issues of food safety.
Recently, I noticed a tiny red logo on a can of Eden Organic beans: BPA Free. Wow! After days of searching online, I could find no other canned goods so labeled. If Eden is the only producer of beans (30 some varieties) in BPA-free cans, why aren’t their tomato products labeled that way? Going directly to edenfoods.com. provided the answer.
In an interview with Nena Baker last year, Eden Foods founder and president Michael Potter says that, for the moment, his company’s tomato products are packaged in industry standard, BPA-containing cans. That’s because the FDA hasn’t approved any other type of can lining for highly acidic foods.
“Today’s modern chemists can solve this problem, especially if consumers demand it, “Potter says.
The Eden Foods story goes back 10 years. After reading about problems caused by BPA, Potter began asking his three can suppliers what they used to line their steel cans. They would tell him exactly nothing, because they don’t have to. “I was flabbergasted that legally I had no right to know what was in the cans.” That information is apparently protected as a “trade secret.”
Finally, one manufacturer, Ball Corp, responded to at least one of his questions: What did they use before BPA? Turns out they used an enamel made from vegetable resins. He asked why he couldn’t buy cans with the plant-based resin lining and was told he could but it would cost him 14 percent more.
“That’s a big deal for a small company,” Potter says. But he felt it would be the right thing to do. That was in 1999, but Eden didn’t promote the switch until recently after consumers had begun to worry about BPA in so many products.
Now we should acknowledge that the FDA is seriously under-funded, and that many agricultural products, like eggs and the hens that lay them, are regulated by both the FDA and USDA with some overlapping jurisdictions. But so far, the FDA, which apparently has no power to force a recall even in the face of salmonella and e-coli outbreaks, only issues warnings. Recalls and redesigns are strictly voluntary, and we all know how well that’s working out.
Which reminds me of the FDA’s “draft guidance” to the meat industry to cut back on the use of antibiotics citing “a serious threat to public health.” Scientists have maintained for years that extensive use of antibiotics to promote growth and prevent the spread of disease in animals subjected to overcrowded conditions, spurs the growth of drug-resistant bacteria. The notice cites antibiotics deemed “medically important” because they’re used to treat humans, particularly those unlucky enough to be infected by salmonella and e-coli. The FDA notice asks meat producers to consult with veterinarians about when and which drugs to use. Again, it’s just a suggestion. Even so, meat industry groups cried foul as scientists called for tighter restrictions.
Of course Congress could pass legislation to regulate antibiotics in the food chain, reduce commingling of food from myriad sources (which makes it impossible to track the source of contamination) and toxic plastics in food containers. Senators willing to buck the powerful industry groups, however, could prove to be scarcer than hens’ teeth.
So until the FDA gets off the dime and actually bans harmful chemicals and antibiotics in the food supply, there are a few things we can do besides making noise as consumers.
Buy only organically raised meat and poultry, grass-fed beef, free-range chickens and the like. Adhere to strict cooking and handling practices. Buy and store food in glass containers and demand that your city or county recycles it.
And until Eden can pack tomato products in BPA-free cans, try buying pasta sauce in glass jars. Try a few spoonsful in Eden beans and brown rice or whole wheat pasta. Delicious. And about as safe as we can get for now.