Only Two Companies in US Confirm Using BPA-Free Cans

Natural Mews.com: "Given these uncertain times, it makes sense to have a reserve food supply. Canned food not only provides long term storage and survives external contamination, but also provides a back up in the event of a food shortage. However, it turns out that most canned foods (even 'USDA Organic') contain plastic liners that leach potentially dangerous chemicals into the food. 

The most notable contaminant is Bisphenol-A (BPA), a powerful hormone disruptor that has been linked to cancer, birth defects and other health problems. Only two canned food companies in the nation were found not to contain any BPA! We will review these companies in this article."

Bisphenol A Information & Resources

Bisphenol A Information & Resources: "This website is a comprehensive resource for environmental, health and safety information about bisphenol A (BPA). Bisphenol A is an industrial chemical used primarily to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins – both of which are used in countless applications that make our lives easier, healthier and safer, each and every day."

Groups urge BPA ban in all food packaging

globeandmail.com: : "BPA isn't completely stable in packaging and traces migrate due to the natural acidity of many foods and the effects of the high temperatures used in food sterilization.

The amounts leaching from cans are minuscule - often only parts per billion - but naturally produced estrogen is active at the parts-per-trillion level, a thousand times less."

FDA Maintains Bisphenol A Is Safe

AAARPBulletintoday: "The Food and Drug Administration is sticking with its ruling that bisphenol A is safe, outraging lawmakers and health advocates who say the chemical is toxic and should be banned.

The FDA posted a letter Monday to members of its advisory board saying that it will review more studies and conduct more research. But unless it uncovers something new, it will continue to recommend that bisphenol A, or BPA, is safe for use in all products, including baby bottles.

'At this moment, with all information in front of us, we do not believe we have the data on which we could base a regulatory ban,' said Laura Tarantino, chief of the FDA's Office of Food Additive Safety.

The FDA regulates chemicals used in food packaging."

"With today's announcement, it's clear that the FDA plans to kick the BPA-lined can down the road," said Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.). "While scientific experts, foreign countries and the FDA's own review panel sound the alarm on BPA's safety, the agency prefers to delay action and downplay the urgency of banning BPA in food and beverage containers."

Markey said he is planning to re-introduce legislation to restrict BPA's use in January.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is also re-introducing a BPA ban.

FDA To Revise BPA Review, Considers Independent Studies

CNNMOney: "The Food and Drug Administration is revising its draft assessment on a chemical commonly found in baby bottles, saying it will reconsider some independent studies that showed Bisphenol-A, or BPA, isn't safe at current levels.

The FDA's original report on BPA, issued in August, relied on studies funded by the chemical industry and said the chemical is safe at levels currently found in plastic baby bottles and canned foods.

But scientists balked, saying the FDA shouldn't have ignored the hundreds of independent studies that have found BPA is harmful to humans. An FDA panel of outside medical experts in October agreed, saying those studies deserve more attention.

The FDA is re-evaluating some independent studies it excluded in the original assessment to determine whether they warrant more consideration, said Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate commissioner for science, in a Dec. 3 letter to an FDA advisory board."

The FDA is also actively searching for new data on BPA and has already started reviewing two studies the panel suggested it look at, according to Alderson's letter.

Protect kids with stricter regulation of chemicals, group urges

cbc.ca: "The group called for a ban on phthalates in children's products, such as soft vinyl toys. Phthalates are also found in many personal care products.

Other contaminants that the group is concerned about include:

- Bisphenol A or BPA, the plastic additive found in the lining of food cans and in many rigid plastic containers.
- Polybrominated flame retardants found in TVs and computers.
The coalition recommended that the federal government boost its legislative power to issue mandatory recalls of products when problems are discovered, and adopt a substitution principle to use safer alternatives to toxic chemicals when possible.

It also urged labelling to give parents more information.

The partnership of 11 groups also included the Canadian Child Care Federation, Pollution Probe, the Ontario College of Family Physicians and the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada."

Green is the new colour of growth

TheStar.com: "Can we revive our economy with better sewage treatment? Can we provide less costly electricity by getting more renewable energy pumping through our provincial electricity grid? Can we increase our competitiveness by putting a price on climate pollution? Can we create new economic opportunities by changing the lining in our tin cans?"

... by rewarding industries that clean up their act and spurring action by laggards; and eliminating toxics by developing safer substitutes for substances like bisphenol A, currently found in the lining of most food cans.