Are Your Canned Foods Safe to Eat?: A BPA-Free Buying Guide
By now, you’re undoubtedly aware of BPA, or bisphenol A, and its ubiquitous presence in can liners, plastics, and even receipts. I wrote about its status as a xenoestrogen with the ability to interact with hormonal receptors in animal bodies, as well as its potentially deleterious effects on humans – especially tiny growing humans – and the general takeaway is that avoiding BPA as much as possible is in all our best interests. We can’t avoid everything, but we can do a fairly good job of it. Luckily, the consumers (that’s you) have spoken up loud enough to get companies to pay attention to the way they line their cans so that while BPA remains a pervasive issue, more and more BPA-free products are being introduced. This is good, but which ones are BPA-free isn’t always evident. Grocery stores don’t generally have a BPA-free section (how awesome would that be?) and some (like Trader Joe’s) don’t even put the label on their products.
Hence this post. What follows is my attempt at a comprehensive BPA-free list of commonly sought-after Primal foods. I tried to shoot for products that are widely available online, but I wasn’t always able. You’ll also note that I stuck to Primal-friendly foods; I didn’t think mentioning the latest BPA-free can of fried gluten with peanuts made much sense, ya know? In any case, here’s the list!
Coconut Milk
Obviously, the best BPA-free coconut product is the coconut itself. Mother nature has always used BPA-free lining (she was way ahead of the curve), so you can safely eat fresh coconut and coconut oil and make coconut milk from the fresh meat and you’ll be fine. But not everyone has ready access to fresh coconut, nor does everyone have the time (or the machete) to open up a coconut and process it into milk. For everyone else, the historic go-to option for coconut products has almost invariably come in a can lined with ample amounts of BPA. Not anymore:
Native Forest Coconut Milk
BPA-free and proud of it, Native Forest offers an organic coconut milk widely available for sale in bulk via Amazon. I’ve never tried it myself, but the reviews – as you can see from the Amazon link – are quite mixed. They apparently source the coconuts from various locales, with Thailand producing the best milk and Sri Lanka producing inferior milk. Again, I don’t know personally, but keep that in mind before you order two dozen cans.
Aroy-D Coconut Milk and Cream
My personal favorite, Aroy-D, comes straight from Thailand (which has the best coconuts, in my opinion) and contains nothing but coconut and water. The tetra-pak versions are completely BPA-free, and the best product is the large quart sized box of coconut cream (which you can treat like a higher-fat milk), but the milk, which comes in both quart and single-serving sizes, is also delicious (but a bit lower in fat, about 2 grams per serving worth). I get mine at the local Asian supermarkets for about 3 bucks a quart.
Trader Joe’s Light Coconut Milk
I had to call and confirm with the manager of my local Trader Joe’s, but these cans do not contain BPA. The only downside is that they contain “light” coconut milk, which means they have a lower fat content. Not so great for curries, but pretty good for drinking straight or making smoothies. They’re also free of thickeners or weird gums.
Coconut Cream Concentrate in a glass jar
It ain’t milk, but sources say that adding warm water to the coconut cream concentrate will produce a rich, creamy coconut milk. And it’s a glass jar, so you don’t have to worry about BPA at all (though I suppose the lid might have it). Here are US and Canadian links. International shipping is available through the US site, too.
Tomato Products
If you remember from that older BPA post, canned tomato is one of the worst offenders when it comes to BPA exposure. It’s highly acidic, making BPA in cans “essential.” And yet, tomato is a wonderful, even essential food. So – what to do? Bite the BPA-emblazoned bullet and eat them anyway? No. You can can your own tomatoes, but other, safer commercial options are out there:
Pomi Chopped Tomatoes
Pomi Chopped Tomatoes, out of Italy (where I hear they know a thing or two about tomatoes), comes in a BPA-free tetra-pak. Word on the street is that although they aren’t certified organic, they are in everything but name.
Bionaturae Tomato Paste and Strained Tomatoes
This is the brand I currently use. The paste is incredible – it comes in a glass jar (with a BPA-free lid, which is an important point that some people miss, especially when dealing with acidic, BPA-leaching foods like tomatoes; not all glass jars use BPA-free lids), contains nothing but tomatoes, and can be eaten (and often is) straight out of the jar. These are a bit dangerous, because they’re somewhat pricey and I can easily eat an entire jar in a sitting. Maybe I should say “standing,” because I usually find myself polishing one off while I’m cooking in the kitchen. I’ve taken to stocking up on these. The strained tomatoes are also good and come in similarly BPA-free packaging. Members of Tropical Traditions can get better deals in bulk, I believe. I highly recommend this brand.
Seafood
Ah, the sardine. So delicious and nutritious and sustainable and free of mercury and yet so difficult to find fresh. Canned versions abound, but they’re all full of BPA… right? Not so fast. Other options exist:
Wild Planet Tuna and Sardines
My local Costco just started carrying BPA-free Wild Planet albacore tuna, skipjack tuna, and sardines. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Wild Planet, but it wasn’t until recently that I actually tried the products. They’re fantastic. Both the albacore and the skipjack are line and troll-caught, which is a sustainable method of procuring smaller, tastier tuna with less mercury than regular tuna. They’re both high in DHA and EPA, with albacore clocking in at 2.3 g DHA and 720 mg EPA per can, and skipjack close behind with 928 mg DHA and 285 mg EPA per can. The sardines are bone- and skin-in, providing hefty amounts of minerals alongside 885 mg DHA and 210 mg EPA. Oh, and they taste better than any similar product I’ve tried. Check out their offerings on Amazon; international shipping can be handled by calling the company direct.
Update: Mark’s Daily Apple reader Chris emailed Wild Planet to double check my personal experience as noted above and this is what they had to say:
Hello Chris,
Thank you for question about our products. Wild Planet aims to convert all of its canned products to cans with BPA-Free linings. We have successfully done so with all our sardine offerings. Our tuna products were marked BPA-free based on the manufacturer’s certification that the can linings were formulated without BPA. Upon independent testing of these cans we found that while the level is very low there is some content of BPA in the product. We are working on this issue very actively right now and hope to have definitive information soon.
As for the salmon cans, there is no BPA-free lining available in Alaska and our attempts to make BPA-free salmon has not rendered good results. But we will keep trying.
Thank you for question and I hope this helps.
Elizabeth
Thanks, Chris!
Trader Joe’s (certain choices)
Most sources I found suggest that Trader Joe’s seafood comes in BPA-free cans, except for sardines, albacore, oysters, clams, and crab (though they are working to rectify that). So the various salmons and tongol tuna, and maybe the anchovies (but I wouldn’t bet on it) should be BPA-free (but ask a manager first).
Vital Choice Canned Seafood
Way back in 2008, Vital Choice finally figured out how to make all their canned seafood items ship in BPA-free cans, but in 2009, Consumer Reports found trace amounts of BPA in Vital Choice tuna. The company responded, including a section of mild apologism for BPA (which is worrying) and concluding with a declaration of intent to purge all BPA for good. What’s the final word? I would avoid their tuna to be safe and stick to their salmon, sardines, and mackerel, which never tested positive for BPA.
Oregon’s Choice Seafood
A small outfit out of (you guessed it) Oregon, Oregon’s Choice uses only BPA-free cans to store the tuna they obtain from trusted fishermen. Pretty pricey, but it seems to be of the utmost quality. Sadly, they don’t claim that any of their other products are BPA-free, which almost certainly means they are not.
Pumpkin
Add it to broth for a nourishing quick soup, add some gelatin and hot water to make a custard, add it to your dog’s food to prevent diarrhea, or just spoon it straight outta the can hobo-style. Sure, fresh pumpkin is great and not that time-consuming to prepare, actually, but there’s nothing wrong with a quality canned item. Luckily, there are a couple BPA-free options out there, and another on the horizon:
Farmer’s Market Foods Organic Canned Pumpkin
Certified BPA-free, decent online reviews, available from Amazon in bulk. I haven’t tried it myself, but it looks pretty good. They also carry canned sweet potato and butternut squash, all BPA-free.
Pacific Natural Pumpkin Puree
I picked up one of these tetra-paks over the holidays. We were making pumpkin custard and I didn’t feel like peeling, cutting, and steaming a whole pumpkin, and I was about to grab the Whole Foods brand of canned pumpkin when I saw this. It’s apparently quite new, so new that it’s not even on the Pacific Natural website. The custard turned out well.
Trader Joe’s Canned Pumpkin
As of 2012, new cans should be BPA-free, but I wouldn’t count on it just yet. To be sure, ask the manager of your local establishment.
Well, those are the big problem areas in the Primal community as I see it: coconut milk, tomatoes, canned seafood, and pumpkin (and other squashes). Heck, you could probably devise a pretty decent diet out of the aforementioned choices. You’d have your saturated fat, omega-3s, protein, sea minerals, soluble fiber, and antioxidant needs covered. It might not be optimal, but I’d argue that such a diet would be superior to most people’s out there.
Before I wrap this up let me say that companies are changing their packaging all the time, so it’s up to you to be diligent about which cans contain BPA and which do not. This article will age and it’s possible that some of the recommendations I’ve made here will no longer be relevant in the future. Hopefully they still help you find what you are looking for, but just remember to check with the supplier before making your purchase.
Anyway, chime in with comments, tips, and links to other BPA-free products. Thanks for reading, and see you next time!
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
Eden Foods, a family-owned company in Clinton, Michigan, has tomatoes in amber (brown) glass jars. They have a lot of organic foods… Their organic beans have been in BPA-free cans for a few years. Good quality, no affiliation.
I love their crushed tomatoes for pizza sauce & spaghetti.
Canned pumpkin???!!!! How weird is that. In australia I doubt there is any such thing, you buy a whole one or a large piece off the shelf. If things are made overly convenient people will buy them no doubt, or is it a weather issue?
Stranger than fiction.
HEY! Found a neat study for Canadians to read
A listing from our government site on levels of BPA in brand name foods!
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/pubs/securit/bpa_survey-enquete-can-con-eng.php
It looks to me like No Name brand and Unico brand tomato paste has the lowest levels of BPA…
The middle of winter is the worst time to hear about BPA in can liners. There are options, but my best is to shrug and remember that something already has wrecked my reproductive organs. I can save up to buy enough bushels to last a year when they are in season.
I’m saving this! I will have to peruse your blog. I get lots of canned beans from Trader Joe’s and am hoping they are BPA free. The easiest alternative for me would be cooking and freezing beans myself.
I love the site, but unless you are absolutely sure the cans are bpa free I wish you would not post it! The info needs to come from the manufacturing side not the store personel.
Crown Prince also makes BPA-free canned tuna.
I have low grade prostate cancer and have been told to eat as many tomatoes any way I can. Now I read the other day there are 5 things you should not eat if you have prostate cancer and one is canned tomato products. These tomato product companies need to fix this BPA problem now!
Dear Mark,
I am online marketing director for Vital Choice Wild Seafood & Organics.
I’d like to make two points:
1) We did not issue a “mild apologia” for BPA … we simply reported the latest news (at the time of the article) about its endocrine effects.
2) It makes no sense to tell people to avoid canned Vital Choice Albcore Tuna, unless you are going to tell people to avoid ALL foods in cans certified to be BPA-free.
(BTW, all major national tuna brands openly use cans lined with BPA-infused resins.)
Vital Choice has written certifications from the suppliers of all of our seafood cans (except for Dungeness Crab) that the cans are BPA-free … and we remain committed to trying to use only BPA-free cans.
And as you say on this very page, another U.S. brand that claims their tuna cans are BPA-free (Wild Planet) admits that, as happened with our tuna, their tuna showed traces of BPA when tested.
This suggests that any other companies who believe they are using BPA-free cans (e.g., Wild Planet, Trader Joe’s, Oregon’s Choice Seafood) are just as likely to show traces of BPA in their tuna (and other canned fish), possibly due to the ubiquity of BPA in the environment.
In fact, you posted these two entries above:
“Mark’s Daily Apple reader Chris emailed Wild Planet to double check my personal experience as noted above and this is what they had to say:
Hello Chris,
Our tuna products were marked BPA-free based on the manufacturer’s certification that the can linings were formulated without BPA. Upon independent testing of these cans we found that while the level is very low there is some content of BPA in the product.”
And as you say about another brand:
“Oregon’s Choice Seafood
A small outfit out of (you guessed it) Oregon, Oregon’s Choice uses only BPA-free cans to store the tuna they obtain from trusted fishermen. Pretty pricey, but it seems to be of the utmost quality. Sadly, they don’t claim that any of their other products are BPA-free, which almost certainly means they are not.”
Please be fair and even handed!
As of June 2012, all domestic sardine production will be converted to BPA free cans…not by legal issues, simply by consumer demand.
Also of note, all domestic produced tuna products (BB, COSI and SK) have been in BPA “free” cans for the last 2 years. Only imported products still contain epoxy lined cans. They simply don’t announce it as the inventory mix would make branding very difficult.
Re: pumpkin, I’ve used Farmer’s Market Organic Pumpkin and it’s great!
Thanks for the very useful list of BPA free products.
I just confirmed with Amy’s Organics consumer relations department that as of March 2012, their canned soups will be BPA free. They have been transitioning to BPA free for the last year, with the lentil soups and tomato products, the BPA free cans will have an NB on the bottom of the can with the date etc. Good news, since Costco sells a great pack of lentil and minestrone soups.
Eden Foods has a few BPA free canned goods – I usually buy the canned chickpeas or other beans. They are available in Whole Foods and local co-ops.
Can you do a post about BPA-free canning lid options for us home canners out there! This would be so wonderful, THANK YOU
Tomatoes in glass are always the best way to go – http://shoporganic.com has Bionaturae as well as Eden tomato products in (amber) glass. You can also find most of the other items in this list there, coconut milk, pumpkin, tuna and more.
Eden Organics has a wide line of products and I know their tomato products are not lined with BPA. You can order them in bulk from Amazon and get a good discount if you do the Subscribe and Save option. I am pretty sure all of their products including beans etc. are BPA free- they tout it on the products that I have bought. That being said, I have committed to using only what I have to that is canned- I have very few canned products in my pantry now. I do all of my own pumpkin, as much tomato canning as I can in the summer, and I cook and freeze all of my beans myself. I also opt for glass jarred foods when I have to buy them. Those items are pricey so I stock up when on sale.
THANK YOU FOR THE LIST- I GREATLY APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION!
I buy frozen coconut milk from an asian grocery store. It is, of course, packaged in plastic, but it is a #2 plastic. It is the sealing type plastics that scare me more. Mercury-free dental fillings, for instance, have BPA in them. What a great choice we have there! I also like that the milk has only one ingredient, coconut milk. No stabilizers, emulsifiers, etc. I just break the solid block into chunks for portions. I don’t much like the tetrapak-type products, since they are not recyclable in my area.
Eden Organics cans are all BPA free as well
For all you “canners” out there, the best option out there for lids on traditional Ball, Kerr, GH and Bernardin mason jars are the Italian lids made by Bormioli Rocco called Quattro Staggoni. You can order them on Amazon or directly from Golda’s Kitchen. The lids are lined with a glass ceramic so no BPA and acid proof. Golden Harvest lids are not bad as they are unlined, but not good for acids. Tattler lids are Bpa free but still plastic so who knows.
This is the very reason why I am not a fan of canned food! As much as possible I cook food at the house… well since I have my own business I have plenty of time.
All canned salmon products by the seafood PROCESSOR Trident are bpa free. Trident provides the canned salmon for Trader Joes, Costco (the kirkland brand), Royal Red and Royal Pink Salmon and a few others and all are basically the same product with different labels, prices and amounts of skin and bones (Kirkland Salmon is skinless and boneless, Royal Salmon is not). Also some VERY expensive glass canned seafood producers are Tonnino, Chinook and Company, Captian Jack’s Gourmet Alaskan Seafood and Ortiz.
it is so easy to avoid bpa. just do not eat or drink products using them.. also use the canning lids that are bpa free. making your own coconut milk is quite easy. i personally have never had coconut milk from a container from a store. i moved to key west when i was a teenager and we had coconuts in our yard-as do many people there. it only took me asking a neighbor how to make milk and i was off making my own. while i live in carmel-by-the-sea now, and have to have coconuts sent from home(key west) , i still prefer real fresh coconut milk and oil and meat to anything purchased at a store.
NATIVE FOREST COCONUT MILK IS NOT BPA FREE. i JUST CALLED AND SPOKE TO A REP. She says they are low levels bpa and the FDA cannot allow them to label them as such. I called because there was no information on the can or website making claims of being bpa free. I trust it’s still better than other brands, seeing as I don’t trust the FDA. They still allow saccharin on the shelves for @%#^&%$sake