Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in the epoxy lining of
canned foods and beverages and in polycarbonate, a hard, clear plastic. The
chemical mimics estrogen in the body and researchers have found links between
BPA and numerous health problems including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and
metabolic disorders.
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention found BPA in the urine of over 90% of Americans tested.
Consumers
are paying close attention to BPA and many are advocating for the use of
alternatives. State and local governments have moved to ban the chemical from
certain products, and federal legislators have introduced bills to regulate or
ban BPA.3 Alternatives to the chemical exist for plastic products and, on a
more limited basis, for can linings.4 The baby bottle industry and packaged
food companies such as Eden Foods and Heinz have already begun transitioning to
these alternatives. The continued use of BPA in products where a feasible
alternative exists presents both financial and reputational risks to companies
in the packaged food industry.
Seeking Safer Packaging is a project of Green
Century Capital Management, Inc. (Green Century) and As You Sow. The authors
sent letters to 20 companies in the packaged food industry to identify the
actions the companies are taking to address concerns regarding BPA. Fourteen
companies replied. Company scores are based entirely on their responses to
these letters.
This scorecard reviews how leading packaged food companies are
responding to increased consumer and investor concern about BPA. Seeking Safer
Packaging ranks companies on three factors: 1) efforts to find and implement alternatives
to BPA, 2) plans to phase out BPA in products for which alternatives exist, and
3) transparency on the issue.
The scorecard is accompanied by an introduction
to health concerns linked to BPA exposure, the changing regulatory climate
related to BPA, and studies of companies that have voluntarily removed the
chemical from their products. Our main findings include:
All companies
surveyed use BPA and are taking insufficient steps to move toward alternatives.
Hain Celestial, Heinz, and Nestlé received the top scores because all three
companies are involved in researching and testing of alternatives to BPA and
all have plans to phase out the chemical in some products.
Heinz stands out
as a leader as it is the only company surveyed that is currently using an
alternative to BPA in some of its can linings.
Three of the companies that
responded to our questions, Del Monte, Hershey, and J.M. Smucker, are not
taking action beyond monitoring the industry to identify or implement
alternatives to BPA as a packaging material.
Green Century and As You Sow
recommend that each of the companies featured in this scorecard switch to
BPA-free technologies in every product line for which they are available and
actively pursue a broader range of alternatives so as to protect public health
and reduce their exposure to risks associated with BPA.
