Good News about BPA from Trader Joe's!

[BabyMommee]

So, I've known about BPA for awhile, but somehow I never knew that it was in the liner of canned foods. That kinda freaked me out, so I've been emailing lots of companies. So far, I've found that Dole doesn't use it in its fruit, and today I got this response from Trader Joe's:

Thanks for contacting us with your question. We do not use BPA in any
of
our cans. Food grade enamel is used to line them.

Thanks for shopping with us,

Marci

Trader Joe's Customer Relations

Yay!

[mamadelbosque]

I don't know that I trust that. TJ's (or Dole for that matter) almost certainly has no idea whats actually IN their cans. They may not use BPA specifically, but what exactly is in that "Food grade enamel"

[avendesora]

Even Eden Organics admits to using lead in their cans .

Aven

[milky_mama]

Also, most of the Trader Joe canned goods are made in China.

[BabyMommee]

This is so frustrating. I've been contacting lots of companies. I haven't heard back from most of them. I'll keep posting any replies I get to this thread if anyone is interested. Do you think there's any other source I can find out for sure other than asking the companies themselves?

[*Jessica*]

I wish they would just go back to canning these items in glass!

[milky_mama]

Originally Posted by *Jessica*

I wish they would just go back to canning these items in glass!

:

[mamadelbosque]

Apparently most food in glass still has some bpa because it's used in/on the lids! Even home canning supplies use it!! how maddening is that???

[BabyMommee]

I've heard that. I was wondering if the home canning supplies did as well. I think there is less of a risk of it leaching into food since it's in the lid and the food isn't sitting on it (as much) as the bottom and sides. AND the lids aren't brought to as high of a temperature as the glass when you can at home, as opposed to the cans used commercially - you know the whole thing is getting really hot there. I hear lots of conflicting things about how much BPA gets into the food from the can, but logicically, to me, it seems like that would be one of the biggest sources - because of the temperature and the amount of time the food sits in there. If Canada is recalling sippy cups that stay at room temperature and don't have liquids sitting in them for years, don't cans seem worse?

[BabyMommee]

Here's the email I got back for DelMonte/S&W:


Thank you for your e-mails and for your inquiry regarding Bisphenol-A
(BPA) in S&W and Del Monte cans. We're glad you took the time to contact
us.

We can assure you that canned food is safe. All of the materials used
in our standard protective coatings, some of which contain trace
amounts of Bisphenol A, are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
for use in food contact applications, and for more than 40 years have
played an essential part in food preservation.

Human exposure to BPA from can coatings is extremely small and poses no
known health risk. Epoxy can coatings are approved for food contact
use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other government
agencies worldwide, which have examined the scientific evidence and
consistently reached the conclusion that such low levels of BPA are not a risk
to human health. Del Monte Foods is committed to providing high
quality, nutritious and great tasting products to consumers, and will continue
to work with trade associations such as the Grocery Manufacturers
Association and the International Food Information Council to follow
developments in this area closely.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has just released a science
policy paper, "Bisphenol A: A Guide for Consumers, Policymakers and
the Media," designed to provide current and scientifically accurate
information on the safety of BPA. While this study is very in-depth, we
believe that many consumers will appreciate the detailed information that
is contained. Please visit
http://www.gmabrands.com/publication..._Bisphenol.pdf to read the
GMA science policy paper on BPA. Another good source of information on
the topic is www.ific.org/publications/qa/bisphenolaqa.cfm.

As of May 2006, S&W Beans are now produced and distributed by Faribault
Foods.For questions or comments about S&W Beans, please contact
Faribault Foods at:

Faribault Foods
128 15th St NW
Faribault, MN 55021
Toll-free number: 888-201-6440
or www.faribaultfoods.com/contact

I appreciate the opportunity to respond and hope this information is
helpful.


Mary, Del Monte Foods Consumer Affairs
[e-mail]

Del Monte. Nourishing families. Enriching lives. Every Day.


Yeah, that made me laugh too.

[delly]

Ack! so basically they're saying "yes we use BPA in our can linings but don't worry it's safe!" Ugh, whatever! : I wish I knew what to do about buying canned food now!
We don't eat a ton of it but we do have a few basics that we like, and it's so much faster to open a can of beans, for instance, than to have to pick over and soak dry ones, etc. Plus canned pineapple is a favorite around here - guess I'll have to figure out another source.

Originally Posted by BabyMommee

Here's the email I got back for DelMonte/S&W:


Thank you for your e-mails and for your inquiry regarding Bisphenol-A
(BPA) in S&W and Del Monte cans. We're glad you took the time to contact
us.

We can assure you that canned food is safe. All of the materials used
in our standard protective coatings, some of which contain trace
amounts of Bisphenol A, are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
for use in food contact applications, and for more than 40 years have
played an essential part in food preservation.

Human exposure to BPA from can coatings is extremely small and poses no
known health risk. Epoxy can coatings are approved for food contact
use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other government
agencies worldwide, which have examined the scientific evidence and
consistently reached the conclusion that such low levels of BPA are not a risk
to human health. Del Monte Foods is committed to providing high
quality, nutritious and great tasting products to consumers, and will continue
to work with trade associations such as the Grocery Manufacturers
Association and the International Food Information Council to follow
developments in this area closely.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has just released a science
policy paper, "Bisphenol A: A Guide for Consumers, Policymakers and
the Media," designed to provide current and scientifically accurate
information on the safety of BPA. While this study is very in-depth, we
believe that many consumers will appreciate the detailed information that
is contained. Please visit
http://www.gmabrands.com/publication..._Bisphenol.pdf to read the
GMA science policy paper on BPA. Another good source of information on
the topic is www.ific.org/publications/qa/bisphenolaqa.cfm.

As of May 2006, S&W Beans are now produced and distributed by Faribault
Foods.For questions or comments about S&W Beans, please contact
Faribault Foods at:

Faribault Foods
128 15th St NW
Faribault, MN 55021
Toll-free number: 888-201-6440
or www.faribaultfoods.com/contact

I appreciate the opportunity to respond and hope this information is
helpful.


Mary, Del Monte Foods Consumer Affairs
[e-mail]

Del Monte. Nourishing families. Enriching lives. Every Day.


Yeah, that made me laugh too.

[zinemama]

According to the person at TJ I spoke to, only the canned food specifically labeled as originating in China (or any other country) is from outside the US. That leaves plenty of TJ canned food from here.

[BabyMommee]

Here's the reply I got from Dole:


Thank you for contacting us.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a substance used in the manufacture of
polycarbonate plastics and the production of tin can epoxy resin sealants and
coatings. These resins are inert materials used as protective liners in
metal cans to maintain the quality of canned foods and beverages.

Dole's plastic containers and plastic packaging are made either of
polypropylene or polyethylene; no polycarbonate plastics are used.

The use of epoxy resins in food packaging, including those made with
BPA, has been and continues to be recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration, the European Commission Scientific Committee on
Foods, the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency, the Japanese Ministry
of Health, Labor and Welfare and other regulatory agencies throughout
the world. These materials have been approved by the U.S. FDA and for
more than 40 years have been a part of food preservation. The FDA has
found these materials to be safe and pose no risk to consumers.

Suppliers to Dole of all packaging materials are required to submit to
Dole documentation that their materials comply with specific published
regulations.

Thank you for the opportunity to address your concerns.

Sincerely,

Dole Consumer Response Staff
001142919A / DCR/CAS

[emma_goldman]

Not True

Sorry! Trader Joe's has BPA in the can liners. You can read about it on the Environmental Working Group's page:

http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/03/bp...s-answered.htm

Bummer. I even stockpiled TJ's canned goods for my move to a state without any TJ.

[emma_goldman]

Bump

[hipmummy]

This is slightly OT but I rarely eat canned or processed foods, but I need to get a filling fixed and I wear a bite guard at night. It is just so hard to avoid BPA.

[mamaheids]

Originally Posted by zinemama

According to the person at TJ I spoke to, only the canned food specifically labeled as originating in China (or any other country) is from outside the US. That leaves plenty of TJ canned food from here.

I talked to a TJ's manager this week who told me they are now actively phasing out all of their products from China. (Which is why they were out of a few things I was looking for, didn't know they were from China.)

[CharlieBrown]

subbing

[sarah97206]

BAD news about BPA from Trader Joe's

i noticed that there's a posting here that trader joe's does not use can linings containing bisphenol-a. i'd just like to mention that their canned tomatoes DO contain bisphenol-a. trader joe's organic diced tomatoes are packed by muir glen, which does use epoxy linings in their can. unfortunately, TJ's has not been honest about this and for this reason i would recommend avoiding their canned foods. please read below:

when i wrote to ask trader joe's last year if any of their canned goods contained BPA, they wrote back as follows:

----


From: "Web Customer Relations" <[e-mail]>
Date: July 9, 2007 8:13:34 AM PDT
Subject: RE: Trader Joe's Product Information Form

Hello Sarah,


Trader Joe's uses food grade enamel to line our cans of tomatoes. We never use BPA in any of our cans.

Thank you for your inquiry and thank you for shopping at Trader Joe's.

Kellye
Trader Joe's
Customer Relations

----

so a few months later i bought a case of their canned tomatoes. i noticed that the cardboard box that the cans came in was labeled 'muir glen', and i had previously written to muir glen to ask if they used BPA in their linings, and they said they did. I also noticed a white plastic lining inside the tomato cans. So i wrote back to trader joe's to ask about this, including a specific, yes-or-no question [do your canned tomatoes contain BPA?]

here's the response i got:

----
Sarah,

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. Realistically,BPA is an industry-wide issue for manufacturers putting products in cans, certain types of plastic containers, and even products like Nalgene reusable drinking bottles.

If you are concerned about BPA it may be best to avoid canned food. The matter is the subject of much debate and there's yet to be definitive information from the discussions.

As the affected manufacturing industries respond to the developments, we'll have a better sense of what our next steps will be.

Sincerely,
Amy
Trader Joe's
Customer Relations

----

as you may notice, this did not answer the question.

so i wrote back one last time, explaining that i had a specific question about the canned tomatoes and wanted a yes-or-no answer; not a generic list of talking points.

i got the following response:

----

Sarah,

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. Realistically,
BPA is an industry-wide issue for manufacturers putting products in
cans, including our canned tomatoes, certain types of plastic
containers, and even products like Nalgene reusable drinking bottles.

If you are concerned about BPA it may be best to avoid canned food.
The matter is the subject of much debate and there's yet to be
definitive information from the discussions.

As the affected manufacturing industries respond to the developments,
we'll have a better sense of what our next steps will be.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Trader Joe's
Customer Relations


----

i think it's pretty sleazy that they lied about this the first time i asked, and then refused to answer the question the second and third time. i'm not shopping there any more; please write to them and tell them to be honest about what's in their food packaging.

[BabyMommee]

Wow!