Leading Packaged Food Companies Continue to Use BPA Chemical

April 30, 2009

Email this story Print this post Add your comments

Fourteen of the largest public packaged food and beverage companies still use chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in their packaging despite studies linking the synthetic sex hormone to developmental problems, heart disease and diabetes, according to a new report from Green Century Capital Management (Green Century) and As You Sow.

BPA is used in can linings and some hard clear plastic containers and is known to leach from packaging into food and beverages, says Green Century, an environmentally responsible investment advisory firm and manager of the Green Century Funds. In March, rising consumer concern about BPA led the six largest baby bottle manufacturers to announce that they would phase out BPA from all bottles sold in the U.S.

The new report, Seeking Safer Packaging, reviews how leading packaged food companies are responding to increased consumer and investor concern about BPA. The study finds that of the fourteen companies that responded to the survey, all but four had failed to develop safer alternatives, and only one company — Heinz — had begun using a substitute. The scorecard awarded top scores to Hain Celestial, Heinz, and Nestle.

The other companies contacted for the study were Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola, ConAgra, Chiquita, Dean Foods, Del Monte, General Mills, Hershey, Hormel, J.M. Smucker, Kellogg, Kraft, McCormick, PepsiCo, Sara Lee, Sysco, and Unilever.

Click here for the full report.

click to enlarge

Email this story Print this post Add your comments

Advertisers

Make sustainability part of your strategy.

Get equipped at the SAP Sustainability Resource Center. >>

Unclear about the EPA's new GHG Rule?

Learn how it could affect your business. >>

EPA mandatory emissions reporting starts Jan 1st

CSA Standards can help your organization get ready for compliance. Find out how. >>

Best Practices: Product Environmental Compliance

How to achieve compliance at a significantly lower cost. Download the full report. >>

Join the Discussion

Reader Comments

can we get some examples of the differences between hard plastics and soft plastics, etc. thanks

john | November 5th, 2009

Recent Daily News [ see all ]

11/20/2009
11/19/2009
11/18/2009

Charts [ see all ]

European Paper Industry Cuts CO2 Emissions by 42% since 1990

S. America Takes Most Urgent View of Copenhagen Talks

Nike Tops Annual Climate Action Scores

Oceans May Trap more Carbon than Forests

Jobs

View All Jobs >> Post a Job >>

Comments and Discussions

miggs on European Paper Industry Cuts CO2 Emissions by 42% since 1990
"Yet another example of the potential of combined heat & power to transform..."

Stevenson on News Corp. Taps Hara for Energy Efficiency, Environmental Management
"All of us should think of ways to save energy now. It is not a myth,..."

Trade Association on Trade Group on EPA Chemical Regs: ‘If Everything is a Priority, Then Nothing is a Priority’
"Seriously… that..."

Gary Markowitz on Supermarkets Tackle Emissions Reductions, Fuel Efficiency
"Supermarkets waste over 10 percent of their energy through improper..."

peter in ireland on Ontario May Follow California’s Lead on TV Energy Efficiency
"Governor Schwarzenegger is shooting himself in the foot! 1...."

Environmental Leader on S. America Takes Most Urgent View of Copenhagen Talks
"The survey respondents (the PDF report mentions 4,000 respondents in 38..."

Jake on UPS Trying New Hydraulic Hybrid Trucks
"A point of clarification: the Reuters press release referenced herein reports that 20 UPS will purchase..."

Environmental Leader