REPORT: Breast Cancer Fund examines BPA in 7 Thanksgiving foods
Leila Goldmark
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/11/15/uninvited-thanksgiving-guest-bpa?utm_source=GreenBuzz&utm_campaign=5229497930-GreenBuzz-2011-11-16&utm_medium=email
Direct link to report:
http://www.breastcancerfund.org/big-picture-solutions/make-our-products-safe/cans-not-cancer/bpa-thanksgiving-food.html
An Uninvited Thanksgiving Guest: BPA
By Tilde Herrera
Published November 15, 2011
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Tags: Green Chemistry & Toxics
We've reported on Bisphenol-A extensively at GreenBiz.com, including
how the gender-bending chemical is pervasive in everyday products,
ranging from receipt paper and baby bottles to the epoxy lining of
cans used as food packaging.
So it was not much of a surprise to see a study released today
concluding that many families may receive a hearty serving of BPA
alongside their Thanksgiving turkey next week. The chemical mimics
estrogen and has been linked to reproductive and developmental
problems.
The Breast Cancer Fund tested BPA levels in seven products that
frequently make their way to the Thanksgiving table. The nonprofit
also tested the four products purchased in four different states, for
a total of 28 samples.
They found that 12 of the samples had BPA levels above 11 parts per
billion (ppb) the amount that has been associated with disrupting in
utero brain development in lab studies. Researchers also found wide
variability in the same product purchased in different states. For
example, BPA levels found in a can of Campbell's turkey gravy ranged
from 5 ppb in New York to 125 ppb for a can bought in Minnesota. The
Breast Cancer Fund said this could be due to inconsistencies in
transportation and storage conditions, as well as in the canning
process across facilities or batches.
No BPA was detected in samples of Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce.
The Breast Cancer Fund has been pushing food manufacturers to eschew
BPA in the lining of cans used to package foods through its Cans Not
Cancer campaign, launched in April. According to the nonprofit, rats
and mice experienced altered mammary gland development because of BPA
exposure in lab tests.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in June 2010 that recent
studies "provide reason for some concern about the potential effects
of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants
and children." The agency said it is conducting its own in-depth
studies to get to the bottom of uncertainties surrounding BPA. and
supports efforts to reduce human exposure.
GreenBiz.com reached out to the food manufacturers in the Breast
Cancer Fund study to get their stance on BPA and hear the latest on
their BPA plans. Here's what they told us:
Campbell's: Conducting testing on BPA substitutes, lauded for
transparency on the issue in the 2010 report, "Seeking Safer
Packaging." "We recognize that some consumers have expressed concern
over BPA, that is why we are following all of the science and
research," Dave Stangis, Campbell's vice president of CSR,
sustainability and community affairs, said in an email. "Because of
the views expressed by some consumers, we have been examining
potential alternatives to BPA for use in our packaging materials for
several years. This work is continuing."
Del Monte: No response as of press time.
General Mills: Completed transition of its Muir Glen tomato products
to BPA-free cans. "Scientific and governmental bodies worldwide have
examined the science and concluded that the weight of evidence
supports the safety of BPA, including recent comprehensive risk
assessments in Japan and in the European Union," the company said in a
statement. "However, we know that some of our consumers would like us
to pursue alternatives -- and we are working with our can suppliers
and can manufacturers to develop and test alternative linings that do
not use BPA."
Nestlé: "Nestlé continuously monitors the packaging material, and
other materials in direct contact with its products, and ensures that
all materials are safe and comply with regulations," the company said
in a statement Wednesday. "While its products are safe and comply with
current regulations, as a global food manufacturer and marketer,
Nestlé takes into consideration consumer preferences as well as
attitudes concerning the use of certain materials. In this context
Nestlé has a global program to evaluate the most suitable packaging
solutions. This includes evaluating alternatives to Bisphenol A."
Ocean Spray: "The FDA has extensively reviewed the science regarding
BPA and has determined that BPA is safe," John Isaf, an Ocean Spray
spokesman, said in a statement. "However, due to the recent increased
discussion regarding BPA in metal cans, we evaluated our canned sauce
products, and learned that our canned sauce products have no
detectable levels of BPA."
For a more exhaustive look at how food manufacturers are addressing
BPA in packaging, see the aforementioned report from As You Sow and
Green Century Capital Management, "Seeking Safer Packaging."
[Editor's note: This is an updated article that adds comment from
Nestlé.]
Leila Goldmark
years ago, but now that I have to pack school lunches every day, the
glass containers we've been using seem unwieldy. So, I got some "BPA-
free" plastic to pack cold items. However, what do we really know
about BPA-alternatives (or other alternatives to known chemicals of
concern)?
As food for thought, here are a few more resources re Bisphenol A
(BPA) and BPA-free alternatives. What do you think?
FDA: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm064437.htm
EPA: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/actionplans/bpa.html#concern
The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/04/beyond-bpa-could-bpa-free-products-be-just-as-unsafe/237246/
Scientific American: http://www.scientificamerican.com/search/?q=BPA&x=0&y=0
NRDC: http://www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife/0902.asp
HCHW: http://healthychild.org/issues/chemical-pop/bisphenol_a/ &
http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/bpa-free_not_exactly/
Green America: http://blog.greenamerica.org/2011/11/07/plastic-free-monday-getting-bpa-out-of-my-kitchen/
On Nov 21, 10:25 am, Leila Goldmark <le...@greenrainbowrevolution.com>
wrote:
> Article below from GreenBiz:http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/11/15/uninvited-thanksgiving-guest-...
>
> Direct link to report:http://www.breastcancerfund.org/big-picture-solutions/make-our-produc...
Leila Goldmark
Settlement Forces FDA to Determine BPA Fate by March 31
By Tilde Herrera
Published December 07, 2011
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has until the end of March to
decide whether it should ban the controversial chemical Bisphenol-A
(BPA) from food and drink packaging.
The chemical, pervasive in a range of everyday products such as food
can linings, water bottles and receipt paper, mimics estrogen and has
raised concerns in recent years after studies linked BPA to several
negative health impacts, such as reproductive problems and abnormal
brain development.
The decision is part of a settlement reached with the Natural Resource
Defense Council, which sued the agency in 2010 after getting no
response to a 2008 petition asking for a ban on BPA in any material
that comes into contact with food.
"While we are glad FDA is finally going to make a decision BPA in food
packaging and this is a major step forward in the legal process, it is
discouraging that FDA has not responded and that we had to ask the
court to intervene just to get FDA to do its job," the NRDC's Sarah
Janssen said in a blog today. "The agency has been dragging its feet
on making a decision about BPA for far too long."
The safety of BPA has been a matter of great debate for years, but in
2010, the FDA acknowledged that studies caused "reason for some
concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and
prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children."
BPA has already been phased out of baby bottles, according to the
American Chemical Council, largely due to consumer demand. Eleven
states, including California, New York and Maryland, have passed laws
banning BPA from baby drink containers. China, Malaysia and Canada are
among the countries that have outlawed BPA.
BPA is present in 90 percent of U.S. and Canadian citizens, according
to studies, albeit often at low levels.
Still, some food manufacturers have moved away from BPA in response to
consumer concerns, including General Mills, which has completed the
transition of its Muir Glen tomato products to BPA-free packaging.
Can image via Shutterstock.
On Nov 21, 10:25 am, Leila Goldmark <le...@greenrainbowrevolution.com>
wrote:
> Article below from GreenBiz:http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/11/15/uninvited-thanksgiving-guest-...
>
> Direct link to report:http://www.breastcancerfund.org/big-picture-solutions/make-our-produc...