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« Chloramine + Lead Pipes + Fluoride = Contaminated tap water | Main | Buying our way to utopia? Not so much. »
Eden Foods: A BPA-Free Pioneer
By Nena Baker, Author, The Body Toxic and EWG Guest Blogger
No one is more pleased to see the hazards of bisphenol A in the spotlight than Mike Potter, father of six, grandfather of four, and founder and president of Eden Foods. His company began using BPA-free cans in 1999, after two years of frustrating negotiations with his can suppliers.
"It's regrettable that the use of BPA has gone on so long," Potter told me. "I've been flabbergasted as I've observed the lack of will on the part of the rest of the food industry to take advantage of an option we created."
The back story on Eden's switch to BPA-free cans for bean products
In 1997, Potter learned that new research was raising questions about the safety of bisphenol A, and that one of BPA's many applications was in the linings of cans. "Being a canner, it got my attention, " said Potter.
He asked his can suppliers - three of them at the time - if bisphenol A was in the cans they were selling to Eden Foods. "I made hundreds of phone calls to these three manufacturers," he said. "Remarkably, I couldn't find out if it was in the cans I was using or not."
The can companies didn't have to disclose what chemicals they were using as long as they claimed it was a trade secret.
"I was flabbergasted that legally, it was none of my business. I had no right to know, as a consumer, a food manufacturer, a parent or grandparent." Two of his can suppliers (whom he declined to name) gave Potter "half information and half answers."
One can supplier, Ball Corp., "ascertained that I wasn't going to go away. They weren't going to disclose specifically what was in the linings of their cans, but they did help me understand the heavy chemistry that goes on to make the linings and how that process leads to bisphenol A."
Asking the "high-school" question: What did you use before?
So Potter asked what he describes as the "high-school question." What did Ball Corp. use before the days of the formulation that results in bisphenol A leaching into canned food? "They told me they used an enamel made from vegetable resins. So I asked: Can I get my cans with that on it, please?"
The answer was yes, if Eden Foods paid 14 percent more for the BPA-free cans. "That's hundred of thousands of dollars a year for us," which is a big deal for a small company in the very competitive food business.
He felt he had no choice
Potter felt he had no choice but to switch to BPA-free cans. "It was the right thing to do. I didn't want BPA in food I was serving to my kids, my grandkids or my customers." Eden Foods didn't promote its switch to BPA-free cans 10 years ago. "At the time, consumers hadn't heard about bisphenol A. The name itself was like Swahili."
But with growing awareness about BPA's laboratory links to recent trends in human diseases - a chilling list including breast and prostate cancers, increases in urogenital abnormalities in male babies, a decline in semen quality in men, early onset of puberty in girls, metabolic disorders including Type 2 diabetes and obesity, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder - Eden Foods recently began labeling its bean cans "BPA-free."
For the moment, Eden Foods tomato products are packaged in industry-standard BPA-containing cans. "The FDA hasn't approved any other type of processing for highly acidic foods," Potter said.
Where there's a will, there's a way
But Potter, who is also involved in the Non-GMO Project, is convinced that "modern industrial chemists can solve this problem" - especially if consumers demand it.
"It's not fun dealing with this stuff," said Potter. "But where there's a will there's a way."
Investigative journalist Nena Baker is the author of "The Body Toxic: How the Hazardous Chemistry of Everyday Things Threatens Our Health and Well-being" (North Point Press/Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
You can grab it in paperback starting next week, and listen in to Ron Reagan's 30-minute interview with Nena on Air America, Wednesday, July 15, 2009.
« Chloramine + Lead Pipes + Fluoride = Contaminated tap water |
How about using glass jars for tomatoes and other acidic foods?
Linda, There are some fruits and vegetables for sale in glass containers, and it's my understanding that Eden might go that route. One issue is that glass jar lids often contain BPA in the epoxy seal (including canning jars: http://bit.ly/CwoIm.
Even so, glass is a step above cans that contain BPA.
Even though the lids of glass jars may contain the BPA in the seal...how much is in contact with the food is what is important and generally you leave a 1/2" of room between. I think it's a good alternative.
Personally, I feel that we can never get completely away from toxic chemicals. They are everywhere!!! In the air we breathe, the water we drink and use for bathing and washing, the food we eat and well..... Anyway I heartily thank folks like Mike Potter for their efforts and hope that they will continue. As consumers the best thing we can do is always try to choose the least harmful route and keep praying that things will get better!!!
I love that someone has finally decided that pubic health should take priority over financial bottom lines. I hope that this company prospers from this decision to go BPA free-now I just have to find out where to buy it. Im thinking Whole Foods?
Kelly, Eden beans are available at many natural foods stores, and yes I have seen them at Whole Foods. Also, on Eden's web site they have a store locator tool where you can enter your zip code and find a store near you that sells their products. It's here: http://bit.ly/160nma. Hope this helps!
The article that Lisa Frack provided the link for says there is a manufacturer that sells glass canning jars that have glass lids—the glass lids have rubber rings. Here is a link to the company's website: http://www.weckcanning.com.
I believe the claim that Eden canned foods are BPA-free is is misleading. A Consumer Reports study published in November revealed that even in the so-called BPA-free cans, BPA was in fact detected.
http://pressroom.consumerreports.org/pressroom/2009/11/tests-find-wide-range-of-bisphenol-a-in-canned-soups-juice-and-more.html
http://naturalfoodsmerchandiser.com/tabId/119/itemId/4269/Consumer-Reports-testing-finds-BPA-in-canned-foods.aspx
I know that Eden does a lot of good things, but being BPA-free is not one of them.
In the article you cite, Lisa, it says:
Consumer Reports also found BPA in organic canned products and some products packaged in cans that claimed to be BPA-free...Samples of Eden Foods Baked Beans in “BPA-free” cans averaged 1 ppb of BPA...However, tests of the inside of the “BPA-free” cans found that the liners were not epoxy-based, suggesting BPA was not used.
“I’m not surprised at the findings,” said Michael Potter, president of Eden Foods, based in Ann Arbor, Mich. “One of the ingredients [in Eden’s Baked Beans] is tomatoes. When we use canned tomatoes that our organic grower packs for us, a BPA-containing lining is in the can. All canned tomatoes come in BPA-containing cans. However, beans are a low-acid food, so we can use BPA-free cans for them.”
It sounds to me that the BPA in the BPA-free canned foods came from other food, not the cans themselves.
I have taught environmental law for 10 years, and I have watched the debate about BPA in food evolve, from "it's left-wing craziness!" to "experts in the field have more than enough evidence to raise concern."
One BPA expert stated that, because of their high acidity, canned tomatos are swimming in BPA. I lived in Italy for a year, where I was able to buy vegetables, like the tomato puree I used to make pasta sauce, in glass bottles. Shipping in glass is more expensive, but is preferable to dousing ourselves with BPA with every dish of pasta.
The science is becoming clear, but federal agencies have been slow to act on BPA. For our health, we have to find alternatives. Thank you to Eden Foods for providing a BPA-free option for beans; I will ask my grocery store to stock Eden products.
If you'd like to read about living in Italy, I have a blog on Wordpress.