Three years later: 50% of Safeway store brand food cans still contain toxic BPA

Three years ago, our coalition requested that Safeway develop a comprehensive plan to address Hazardous 100+ chemicals in the products it sells, including the toxic chemical bisphenol A. BPA has been linked to cancer, infertility, and type-2 diabetes, and it is already banned in infant formula packaging, sippy cups, and other products. Clearly, there is no place for BPA in our food cans.

It’s been three years, and the company, now owned by Albertsons, has yet to take meaningful action. Our recent report found that 50% of Safeway and Albertsons store brand cans still contain the toxic chemical: After testing the linings of 200+ food cans from across the country – including from Maryland – we found BPA or regrettable substitutes in the linings of food cans such as Safeway Kitchens Diced Tomatoes, Green Beans, and Mixed Vegetables.

We may not be eating the cans, but studies have shown the chemical to leech into the food. In particular, toxic food cans disproportionately affect populations with limited access to fresh foods. Looking beyond cans, we are asking parent company Albertsons to adopt a comprehensive policy on toxic chemicals its food packaging and other products.

In the absence of strong federal policy, we have seen voluntary market-based solutions from industry leaders like Hain Celestial and Annie’s Organics. Recently, Campbell’s and Del Monte also committed to eliminating the chemical, but fell short of adopting a comprehensive chemical policy.

We think our grocery retailers can do better. So far, over 70,000 people have signed our coalition’s petitions to major grocery retailers to safely substitute BPA in food cans.

As consumers, we want safer products. As people, we want healthy food. Together, we can help keep our families safe from chemicals like BPA.