Earth’s Best
A couple of weeks ago I went to an event for Earth’s Best baby food. The event was meant to highlight some of the company’s new products and so some bloggers and other press people were invited to come and see what was new in the hopes that they would later write something favorable and help spread the word.
I have a been a huge fan of Earth’s Best since my now 6-year-old daughter started eating solid foods back in 2004. At the time, all of those lovely organic frozen baby foods that are now on the market didn’t really exist and so if you wanted something to feed your child in a super-quick hurry and you didn’t want to make it yourself, you went to a jar (I know, it seems so old-school, doesn’t it?). My local natural foods store carried Earth’s Best products and so I bought a few and quickly started to supplement my homemade baby foods with Earth’s Best jars, cereals and snacks.
Since Earth’s Best has been my go-to organic baby food product for the past 5 1/2 years, you can imagine my surprise when, after asking at the event if the cans for some of their new products contained BPA, I was told that yes, they did. I kind of figured that, in this day and age, any new product that comes in a can and is geared toward children would not contain BPA. But when I asked why this was the case, I was told by Shauna Burke, Director of Public Affairs for The Hain Celestial Group (owner of Earth’s Best), that she did not have an answer but would get back to me.
Today I received an email from Ms. Burke and I’ve reprinted below, with her permission, some of what she said:
“What I learned is that all canned products that contain foods with any amount of acidity are canned in the traditional format –i.e. a can with a thin interior coating which contains BPA. You had mentioned that a different brand now uses a BPA free method of canning and uses baked on oleoresinous within their steel cans. Baked oleoresinous may only be used when canning non-acidic products such as beans. If you look at the label on canned soups by this other brand, they are not canned using the same method as their beans. Any food product containing acidity may corrode baked on oleoresinous and thus it is not a viable option.
Currently, there are no commercial canning alternatives available on the market. At Earth’s Best we continue to research suitable methods of canning as they become available.”
I am pleased that Earth’s Best got back to me with an answer, and I still think they have great products. But I am not an expert in BPA, nor canning processes. If anyone has information and cares to comment, please do so below.
Tags: bpa, Earth's Best, Feeding Your Baby, Organic Food
October 6th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
[...] Link: Earth’s Best [...]
October 7th, 2009 at 11:12 am
I have heard that there are alternatives in other countries, so I honestly don’t understand the canning industry in this country. I say we got the BPA out of baby bottles and water bottles. Let’s do the same with cans! This is from the Huffington Post:
Actually, in 1998, major Japanese canners voluntarily switched to non-BPA can linings because of a consumer revolt sparked by high BPA urine levels among teens and young adults. Overworked students had been tossing back buckets of canned tea and coffee beverages, kept hot for days in vending machines. BPA-based plastics are unstable to begin with, and they leach more of the chemical into food or drink when they’re heated, washed with strong detergent or subjected to acidic foods like coffee or tomatoes. Japanese researchers reported in 2003 that Japanese students’ BPA urine levels had dropped “significantly” since canning methods changed.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elaine-shannon/can-the-bpa-consumer-revo_b_251786.html
October 7th, 2009 at 11:34 am
That is very interesting, Cheryl. Specifically because Earth’s Best stated that it was because the food was acidic that the can MUST contain BPA.
October 7th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
I wonder why they couldn’t put it in glass jars instead of cans? Some soups are packaged that way…
October 7th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
[...] And Earth’s Best uses BPA in their cans… Is it really so hard to make spaghetti for your kids, that you buy canned? REALLY???????? Boil water, add pasta, toss in sauce. I guess nowadays that is too much trouble. This world of convenience is literally killing us! According to this blog, Japan has an alternative to BPA lined cans , and has used it since 1998. [...]
October 7th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
I totally agree that it’s ridiculous to buy pasta in a can. But also think it’s ridiculous to create a brand-new kids’ product that contains BPA in the packaging.
October 7th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Don’t forget that Earth’s Best baby food jars also have BPA in the lids. They claim it is only trace amounts, but it is still there, even in the non-acidic foods!
October 7th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
What about tetra paks? Some organic soups come packaged that way – are THEY safe? And I don’t think it’s necessary to judge parents just because they use convenience foods. Maybe that is what their kid likes to eat? Personally, I use both canned pasta AND sometimes cook it, but for lunch, with busy school schedules etc., sometimes canned is easier.