Toxics In The News

Food and beverage companies are not doing enough to find substitutes to bisphenol A, a study released Monday by a consortium of environmental activists says.

BPA, a chemical that mimics estrogen, is used to line food and beverage cans, and is suspected of causing a host of illnesses, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Canada declared it a toxin last year and banned its use in baby bottles. The six major American baby bottle manufacturers have promised to stop making products with BPA, and Sunoco, one of five BPA makers in the United States, has limited its sale to exclude products for children younger than 3.

The report, compiled by Green Century Capital Management and As You Sow, surveyed major food companies and found that only Heinz was using an alternative in some of its products. Heinz and two other companies, Hain Celestial and Nestlé, say they are researching and testing alternatives to BPA in packaging, and all have plans to phase out use of the chemical.

Three companies - Del Monte, Hershey Co. and J.M. Smucker Co. - are not taking action beyond monitoring the industry, the report says.