I ran over an article at the same time that my friend from Ely Organics did on Facebook and we were questioning the accuracy of the information. So of course we started digging around and I decided to give Muir Glen a call to get clarification. Or at least as much clarification as a helpful customer service rep is allowed to give me.
The article in question, published in The Independant on November 1st said (amongst other things)
“General Mills, the US giant behind the Green Giant tinned brand, has already ditched BPA from its Muir Glen tomato range, while Campbell Soups says it has done “hundreds” of tests exploring alternatives.”
While this is definitely good news, it’s also kind of a sweeping statement that leaves more questions than comforting answers. A quick look at the Muir Glen website reveals a statement made by the company informing us that they will be transitioning to BPA free cans.
“Muir Glen has been working diligently with our can suppliers to develop and test alternative linings that do not use BPA, and we have successfully identified and tested an alternative that has proven safe and viable in our processing of tomatoes. We are transitioning to cans with liners that do not use BPA as we are canning this year’s tomato harvest.”
Great! But…. still, we’re left with the following questions: Are they on the shelves now? If not how will I know? When will the new cans BE on the shelves? and the million dollar question “What is the new lining made of?” What if it ends up being worse than BPA? Once upon a time BPA was “safe and viable” We know where that got us. So I called and here’s what I found out:
The 411: According to customer service rep I spoke to, who was quite helpful told me that the new harvest of tomatoes will be packaged in the new BPA Free lined cans. The new BPA free canned tomatoes are not yet on the shelves. They will also not be labelled BPA Free. I asked “How will customers know which ones are which?” He told me they will eventually be given a date of production and that all cans made after that date will be packaged in the BPA free cans. As of right now they do not have that date of production available. The rep recommended I call back in February to obtain a date of production.
I also inquired about the new lining and all he was able to tell me was that it was a BPA Free non-epoxy lining. Not entirely helpful but it was all he knew for now. I worry that a new lining will just lead to the same situation all over again that we have now with BPA. What is it? How did they test it? This is what keeps me up at night. I’m weird like that.
I was a little surprised when he asked me if I would like the cans to be labeled BPA Free. I practically screamed YES into his ear and he said he would pass that information along to the company. Hopefully is enough of us ask for it, that might actually happen and it will catch wind with other canned food makers.
I’ve been having the same issue with items that come in aluminum tubes. The answer I received for one product is that the tubes are lined with an epoxy resin that is BPA-free. What makes the epoxy then? Is that safe? I try to avoid aluminum tubes all together but I really want to try this one product.
Also, is what we think is safe today going to come back and bite us tomorrow. I drive myself totally nuts sometimes.
Great job on your investigation! This is a great reminder—just because it’s organic, doesn’t mean it’s BPA free!
All of this is precisely why we buy only Bionaturae tomatoes in glass jars. I never trust anything new when it comes to possible chemical contamination in food.
@kristin: Me too… I’ve been buying Pomi tomatoes in tetrapak packaging but I’ll have to check out Bionaturae. Not sure if you know this though but glass jar lids are usually coated with an epoxy containing BPA.
Is tetrapak packaging safe? I was using the Pomi tomatoes and then was worried there was something in the lining. Is there aluminum in it?
@Adriana: From what I understand its paperboard, with an aluminum layer but the aluminum is sandwiched between the paperboard and a layer of polypropylene.
We buy mostly frozen veggies, although tomatoes are one exception. Good For them for moving in this direction. It’s a tough balance, we want them to go BPA free as fast as possible, then question them if they haven’t tested enough. The normal R&D cycle for new packaging materials is 2-3 years.
It is not weird that it keeps you up at night. Unclear answers are hard to accept. Thanks for the information.
Why on earth wouldn’t they want to advertise that they are in BPA free packaging? That sounds shady to me. But ultimately, it’s good news…sort of…thanks for the investigation! I bought some pomi crushed tomatoes for the first time today 🙂
I have been buying Muir Glen organic tomatoes off and on for awhile now bc my favorite cookbook suggested them as the best tasting canned tomatoes. i do agree that the juice packed tomatoes are very good, better tasting than most. However i have recently joined joined the organic revolution and i am shocked at reading this article. Thanks to the honest goodness and caring of people i am finding incredible amounts of free education throughout my relearning of nutrition. Thank You SafeMama and all of the Bloggers who take the time to care, type, and post. I am truly appreciative and grateful.
Thank you for this info. I have been purchasing Muir Glen products for a long time now specifically the pizza sauce. I did wonder if the cans were BPA-free. I think there is a misconception that if something is labeled “organic” it is the best option. I am sharing the link to your post with my readers this week! Thanks for all you do!
I think I may have come across a BPA-free can of Muir Glen pizza sauce. Instead of the usual white inside coating, it has a clear orange coating, with the shiny metal showing through. I have to say, this sauce tasted weird compared to the old cans, and also had a different smell. I don’t think it had gone bad or anything either.
I emailed Muir Glen but the rep said something about the can not having its liner, though it clearly does have one. I want to figure out what happened with this can, but I’m not very hopeful they’re going to do anything more than give me coupons. The label on the can is also slightly different looking (most notably, copyright 2010 instead of 2006). Fortunately I’ve found a grocery store with lots of the older cans, and am stocking up, because I believe that sauce in these cans with the new liner is going to just waste weird, period. Too bad, because I really liked this pizza sauce too.