Chemical Threat Persists in Food and Beverage Packaging

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Chemical Threat Persists in Food and Beverage Packaging

Healthy Child

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Fourteen of the largest public packaged food companies still use the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in their packaging despite studies linking the synthetic sex hormone to developmental problems, heart disease and diabetes, according to a new survey by shareholder groups.

BPA is used in can linings and some hard clear plastic. The chemical is known to leak from packaging into food and beverages. Rising consumer concern about BPA led baby bottle manufacturers to announce a phase out of BPA in March.

“Given the number of studies linking BPA to serious diseases and developmental disorders, its continued use poses unnecessary risks for companies in the packaged food industry,” states Amy Galland, who helped conduct the survey as Research Director of As You Sow.

The survey, Seeking Safer Packaging, evaluated 20 publicly-traded companies and found that all but four of the respondents had failed to develop safer alternatives, and only one of them had begun using a substitute.

The report awarded its top scores to Hain Celestial, Heinz, and Nestlé. These companies were leaders both in their involvement in researching and testing alternatives to BPA and for their plans to phase out the chemical in some products. According to the report, Heinz is the only respondent already using a substitute to BPA in some of its can linings.

Other companies surveyed include Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola, ConAgra, Chiquita, Dean Foods, Del Monte, General Mills, Hershey, Hormel, J.M. Smucker, Kellogg, Kraft, McCormick, PepsiCo, Sara Lee, Sysco, and Unilever.

According to Green Century and As You Sow, companies that continue to use BPA in food and beverage packaging face competitive, reputational, and potential market exclusion risks.

“As an investor in these companies, we are very concerned about the lack of urgency with which the packaged food industry is addressing BPA,” states Larisa Ruoff, Director of Shareholder Advocacy for Green Century. “Alternatives to BPA exist for many products. We believe companies should implement all feasible alternatives and increase investments into substitute can linings for all products, including highly-acidic foods.”

To read the full report, download it here.