Comments on: New Warning About a Dangerous Chemical, Bisphenol A, Found in Some Baby Bottles

By: Ajlouny

Ajlouny — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:16:33 +0000

If you choose to continue to use polycarbonate bottles, do not use harsh detergents or put bottles in the dishwasher. Instead, clean them with warm soapy water and a sponge. Scouring brushes can scratch the surface of the bottles and increase leaching rates.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:44:38 +0000

Although I was initially told by Trader Joe’s that they only used food grade enamel, Sarah’s comment prompted me to ask them again. After weeks of getting vague responses, I finally received clarification:
—-
Hi Cathy,
The only Trader Joe’s canned product that does not contain BPA are our canned fish products. Realistically, BPA is an industry-wide issue formanufacturers putting products in cans, certain types of plasticcontainers, and even products like Nalgene reusable drinking bottles.
If you are concerned about BPA it may be best to avoid canned food. The matter is the subject of much debate and there’s yet to bedefinitive information from the discussions.
As the affected manufacturing industries respond to the developments,we’ll have a better sense of what our next steps will be.
Thank you,
Nicki K.
Customer Relations
Trader Joe’s
—-
Can you believe that they lied?? I no longer shop there.

By: sarah

sarah — Mon, 26 May 2008 15:34:52 +0000

regarding the comment above:
Trader Joe’s tomato canas are NOT bpa-free.
trader joe’s organic diced tomatoes are packed by muir glen, which does use epoxy linings in their can. unfortunately, TJ’s has not been honest about this and for this reason i would recommend avoiding their canned foods. please read below:
when i wrote to ask trader joe’s last year if any of their canned goods contained BPA, they wrote back as follows:
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From: “Web Customer Relations”
Date: July 9, 2007 8:13:34 AM PDT
Subject: RE: Trader Joe’s Product Information Form
Hello Sarah,
Trader Joe’s uses food grade enamel to line our cans of tomatoes. We never use BPA in any of our cans.
Thank you for your inquiry and thank you for shopping at Trader Joe’s.
Kellye
Trader Joe’s
Customer Relations
—-
so a few months later i bought a case of their canned tomatoes. i noticed that the cardboard box that the cans came in was labeled ‘muir glen’, and i had previously written to muir glen to ask if they used BPA in their linings, and they said they did. I also noticed a white plastic lining inside the tomato cans. So i wrote back to trader joe’s to ask about this, including a specific, yes-or-no question [do your canned tomatoes contain BPA?]
here’s the response i got:
—-
Sarah,
Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. Realistically,BPA is an industry-wide issue for manufacturers putting products in cans, certain types of plastic containers, and even products like Nalgene reusable drinking bottles.
If you are concerned about BPA it may be best to avoid canned food. The matter is the subject of much debate and there’s yet to be definitive information from the discussions.
As the affected manufacturing industries respond to the developments, we’ll have a better sense of what our next steps will be.
Sincerely,
Amy
Trader Joe’s
Customer Relations
—-
as you may notice, this did not answer the question.
so i wrote back one last time, explaining that i had a specific question about the canned tomatoes and wanted a yes-or-no answer; not a generic list of talking points.
i got the following response:
—-
Sarah,
Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. Realistically,
BPA is an industry-wide issue for manufacturers putting products in
cans, including our canned tomatoes, certain types of plastic
containers, and even products like Nalgene reusable drinking bottles.
If you are concerned about BPA it may be best to avoid canned food.
The matter is the subject of much debate and there’s yet to be
definitive information from the discussions.
As the affected manufacturing industries respond to the developments,
we’ll have a better sense of what our next steps will be.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Trader Joe’s
Customer Relations
—-
i think it’s pretty sleazy that they lied about this the first time i asked, and then refused to answer the question the second and third time. i’m not shopping there anymore; please write to them and tell them to be honest about what’s in their food packaging.

By: Cathy Wong

Cathy Wong — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:47:59 +0000

Avoid any polycarbonate plastic. (usually identified by a #7 recycling code on the bottom of the container).
Almost all canned food (including baby formula cans) has bisphenol-A in the inner lining of the can. I contacted Whole Foods, Eden Organics, Amy’s Naturals, Westbrae, Trader Joes, and the only ones that don’t use it are Eden Organics (in their beans, their canned tomatoes have it) and Trader Joes. Cans without bisphenol-A in the lining are more expensive, so manufacturers still use them.
The company Born Free makes bisphenol A sippy cups and bottles. Bottles are probably the most important because they get heated and often cleaned in the dishwasher. I used glass bottles and am now using the Born Free sippy cups. They occasionally leak a little but other than that they’re good. They’re available at Whole Foods and at diapers.com for about $10 each. I think diapers.com also has another bisphenol-A free brand.

By: Isabelle Maussion

Isabelle Maussion — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:33:17 +0000

Where can can I find a list on products that contain BPA and do not contain dangerous toxins like BPA?