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(NaturalNews) 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.

Food Shortage Possible in US

Since virtually every company borrows from the banks and the banks themselves are now failing, no company (or job) is really safe anymore. Should the worst case scenario come to pass and the grocery stores pull a Paulson, there will be no warning. It will be something that just suddenly appears on Google News one morning (provided their new censors deem the information appropriate for their readers). By the time you get to the store the only things left will be diapers, pork rinds and vanilla-flavored yogurt. It`s more important than ever to put away a few cases of nourishing, storable food. However it`s also essential to find food that comes in non-toxic packaging.

Bisphenol-A-Free Cans

Nowadays most food companies have jumped on the "organic" bandwagon, but how much do these companies really care about your health? Sure, they are more than happy to change the label and charge more, but will they pay more to protect you? Even in an economic crisis? The following two companies were the only ones found to offer any canned food that is free of BPA.

1. Eden Foods (Organic Canned Beans)

Eden confirms on their web site that they do not use BPA in their canned beans. Eden foods has been in the organic business for 40 years now. They had the foresight to avoid using BPA in their cans nearly a decade ago. Way back in the 1900`s they opted for a more expensive plant-based can-liner for all but their highly acidic canned tomatoes. Canned beans come in a wide variety and are part of many recipes including Hummus (Garbanzo or Chick Peas), Chili (Pinto and Kidney beans), Bean dip (Refried and Black Beans), Bean salad (Navy, Aduki beans), Succotash (Lima or Butter Beans) and Baked Beans (coming soon!). Price: $1.59 - $1.99 per 15 oz. can (about $2 per pound).

2. Henry & Lisa`s Natural Seafood (Sashimi-Grade Canned Albacore Tuna)

The author contacted this company directly and they confirmed by email that their Sashimi Grade Solid White Albacore Tuna comes in a BPA-free can. Also, they won a Silver Finalist Award from NASFT in Summer 2008 for product quality and innovation. Henry and Lisa`s Natural Seafood is wild caught, preservative-free and comes from sustainable ecosystems. Their tuna is lower in Mercury than most tuna due to the smaller fish size they choose. Price: $7.25 - $7.75 for 6 ounce can (about $20 per pound).

Disclaimer: The author does not receive any compensation whatsoever for endorsing the above products. He has however tried these products and he keeps a few cases in storage.
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BPA Hall of Shame

It is ironic that none of the BPA-free cans have the "USDA Organic" label! Even worse, every can with the "USDA Organic" label DOES contain BPA!

Most "health food" companies are continuing to use BPA in their cans while providing otherwise top notch organic products. But why go through all the trouble of producing high-quality foods that are "free of synthetic chemicals, pesticides or preservatives", only to ship them in tainted packaging materials? These companies should just drop the excuses and spend the crummy two cents extra per can so they can label it "BPA free". However, many of them become hypocritical when it comes to defending their use of BPA . After preaching the "organic" label they suddenly hide behind the FDA (who always supported non-organic to begin with) the moment there is controversy. One company even waxed poetic in a reply to a question about BPA. After redundantly claiming that "scientific and government bodies worldwide have examined the scientific evidence" and that BPA was deemed safe, this company went on to imply that BPA was not only essential but an important part of a wholesome lifestyle!

FDA Declares BPA safe

Soon after BPA was discovered to be a problem it was banned in Canada. The FDA followed by taking immediate action to protect the ones they serve: the multinational corporations. The FDA claimed that BPA was perfectly safe for human consumption. Their philosophy was simple: declare BPA safe first and ask questions later.

Now, the FDA didn`t have any actual research to back their claim that BPA is safe, but apparently a lady who works there sniffed several can liners and said they smelled perfectly fine to her.

Actually there was a "real" FDA study that not only declared BPA safe but said humans could safely ingest a million times levels currently found in products. However that study was widely criticized in October 2008 by dozens of actual scientists (versus "scientific and government bodies", whatever CODEX-friendly creature that would be). It turned out that the person who wrote the FDA study was an insider from the plastics industry. This is clearly fraud and the people responsible should be prosecuted.

Summary

Canned food storage is an essential part of preparedness, but with the majority of cans containing dangerous Bisphenol-A it`s questionable whether they are worth storing at all. Only two companies will confirm that their cans do not contain BPA. Hopefully more companies will follow suit.

Special thanks to those companies who were honest enough to disclose that trace amounts of BPA were in fact in their packaging material. This is something that surprised many companies after they had commit to using cans they assumed were safe.

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References:

Scientists criticize FDA methods on BPA (October 28, 2008)
http://acronymrequired.com/2008/10/...

BPA Free Cans
http://organicgrace.com/node/316

Bisphenol-A in Cans
http://dld123.com/q&a/index.php?cid...

Eden Foods Website
http://www.edenfoods.com/

Henry & Lisa's Website
http://www.ecofish.com

Santa Barbara Olive Company Website
http://www.sbolive.com/aboutus.aspx#

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