Greater Goods, a cool eco-friendly store in Washington, D.C. sells practical BPA-free alternatives to the traditional plastic storage container (http://www.greatergoods.com/store/housewares/cooking/cat_52.html).
Their inventory of environmentally-friendly products also include items such as replaceable heads for an eco-friendly toothbrush, bamboo pot scrapers and even composting toilets. And they ship!
Check them out at www.greatergoods.com
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
EU to rule on BPA's by May
If the EU, which can cooperate on very little, can tackle this and reach consensus in months, why is it going to take the United States until NEXT YEAR to figure out whether BPA's are even an issue?
Check out this article posted today on Food Safety News:
EU To Hold BPA Summit
BY ALEXA NEMETH | FEB 15, 2010
Food safety watch dog, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), is inviting a group of national experts from EU Member states to a top level summit on bisphenol A (BPA).
BPA is an industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic resins, epoxy resins, and other chemicals. BPA is often found in polycarbonate baby bottles and epoxy linings of food cans. Many studies have linked the chemical to an assortment of serious health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and birth disorders.
In early April, the EFSA will outline its opinion on the chemical at the meeting with national specialists present. EFSA's assessment of BPA is currently being prepared by its scientific panel on food contact materials (CEF Panel). The opinion drawn up by the food contacts panel is expected to be adopted by May 2010.
Last October the European Commission requested the evaluation of the relevance of a new study suggesting possible neurodevelopmental effects of BPA. Concerns regarding the updating of the existing Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) were brought to light by several officials.
Specialists invited to the summit will be able to speak on behalf of EFSA's continuous work on the chemical and will be able to bring forward any national research in support of EFSA's opinion. These experts will be nominated by EFSA's Advisory Forum and will be working closely with CEF Panel's BPA group.
Last month the US Food and Drug Administration reported along with the National Toxicology Program, they "have some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children". The FDA also addressed the steps they are taking to reduce human exposure to this chemical including the stopping of the manufacturing of baby bottles containing BPA.
Source: Food safety news/http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/02/eu-to-hold-bpa-summit/
Check out this article posted today on Food Safety News:
EU To Hold BPA Summit
BY ALEXA NEMETH | FEB 15, 2010
Food safety watch dog, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), is inviting a group of national experts from EU Member states to a top level summit on bisphenol A (BPA).
BPA is an industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic resins, epoxy resins, and other chemicals. BPA is often found in polycarbonate baby bottles and epoxy linings of food cans. Many studies have linked the chemical to an assortment of serious health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and birth disorders.
In early April, the EFSA will outline its opinion on the chemical at the meeting with national specialists present. EFSA's assessment of BPA is currently being prepared by its scientific panel on food contact materials (CEF Panel). The opinion drawn up by the food contacts panel is expected to be adopted by May 2010.
Last October the European Commission requested the evaluation of the relevance of a new study suggesting possible neurodevelopmental effects of BPA. Concerns regarding the updating of the existing Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) were brought to light by several officials.
Specialists invited to the summit will be able to speak on behalf of EFSA's continuous work on the chemical and will be able to bring forward any national research in support of EFSA's opinion. These experts will be nominated by EFSA's Advisory Forum and will be working closely with CEF Panel's BPA group.
Last month the US Food and Drug Administration reported along with the National Toxicology Program, they "have some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children". The FDA also addressed the steps they are taking to reduce human exposure to this chemical including the stopping of the manufacturing of baby bottles containing BPA.
Source: Food safety news/http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/02/eu-to-hold-bpa-summit/
Does Aseptic packaging contain BPA's?
After complaining that to her that I could no longer eat my favorite comfort food--canned Tomato soup --my mother suggested I try the Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup she and my Dad buy at Costco. And to assure me that it was safe, she even did a little research of her own. Here is the response she received from the company about their packaging, which looked like it could have been lined with a material containing BPA:
--- On Mon, 2/15/10, Consumer Affairs Coordinator wrote:
From: Consumer Affairs Coordinator
Subject: Pacific Natural Foods - Aseptic Packaging
Date: Monday, February 15, 2010, 1:59 PM
Dear XXXXX,
Thank you for sending us an email. As it should be, the concern for food packaging and recycling is a rising one. Pacific Natural Foods uses what is called aseptic packaging. These cartons have multiple layers to provide safety and freshness. The majority of the package is 70% paper, which is harvested from renewably managed forests. Twenty-four percent (24%) of the package is a low-density food-grade polyethylene plastic, which does not leach Bisphenol-A. This is a number four (#4) plastic. This paper and polyethylene coats a tiny amount (6%) of aluminum, which never comes into contact with your food. This packaging is safe and one of the most recommended on the market.
The aseptic packages are recyclable through a process called hydra pulping. Most recycling communities recommend putting the cartons into the paper portion of your recycling bins. Depending on the facility, we are unable to decipher how much of the carton is actually recycled, but every portion of this packaging is intended to be fully reusable. It may be necessary for you to contact your recycling and refuse company to inquire if they are equipped to recycle the aseptic cartons. We encourage you to use the following website for informative purposes:www.aseptic.org
We hope this explanation is thorough and informative. If you have additional questions or comments please do not hesitate to contact us again.
Kindly,
Cyndee Olsen
Consumer Services Coordinator
Pacific Foods of Oregon
Ph. (503) 692-9666
Fx. (503) 692-9610
www.pacificfoods.com
Please consider the environment before printing this email.
Pacific Natural Foods does not share information.
--- On Mon, 2/15/10, Consumer Affairs Coordinator
From: Consumer Affairs Coordinator
Subject: Pacific Natural Foods - Aseptic Packaging
Date: Monday, February 15, 2010, 1:59 PM
Dear XXXXX,
Thank you for sending us an email. As it should be, the concern for food packaging and recycling is a rising one. Pacific Natural Foods uses what is called aseptic packaging. These cartons have multiple layers to provide safety and freshness. The majority of the package is 70% paper, which is harvested from renewably managed forests. Twenty-four percent (24%) of the package is a low-density food-grade polyethylene plastic, which does not leach Bisphenol-A. This is a number four (#4) plastic. This paper and polyethylene coats a tiny amount (6%) of aluminum, which never comes into contact with your food. This packaging is safe and one of the most recommended on the market.
The aseptic packages are recyclable through a process called hydra pulping. Most recycling communities recommend putting the cartons into the paper portion of your recycling bins. Depending on the facility, we are unable to decipher how much of the carton is actually recycled, but every portion of this packaging is intended to be fully reusable. It may be necessary for you to contact your recycling and refuse company to inquire if they are equipped to recycle the aseptic cartons. We encourage you to use the following website for informative purposes:www.aseptic.org
We hope this explanation is thorough and informative. If you have additional questions or comments please do not hesitate to contact us again.
Kindly,
Cyndee Olsen
Consumer Services Coordinator
Pacific Foods of Oregon
Ph. (503) 692-9666
Fx. (503) 692-9610
www.pacificfoods.com
Please consider the environment before printing this email.
Pacific Natural Foods does not share information.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
One step forward, two steps back
Last week, I decided to try my hand at making hummus without relying on canned Goya chickpeas. My usual method (borrowed from my sister, who is the real cook here) involved rinsing the canned beans and boiling them until they started falling apart. This makes the hummus really smooth, but requires you to babysit the beans for at least a couple of hours since you have to repeatedly add more water to the pan.
Given the amount of work required for the canned beans, I assumed the dry ones would be a real nuisance. To my surprise, they weren't. I could have soaked them overnight, but instead, I decided to just boil them for a few hours and see how I did. The result was virtually the same. My real challenge came when I discovered that my tahini had separated...Still, I threw it all into our VitaMix blender, whipped it until it was smooth, added some roasted red peppers from a glass jar (thank you very much), spooned the hummus into a glass bowl and back into the jars I bought the peppers in and called it done.
But as I was washing out the hard plastic blender pitcher, I realized it probably was made out of BPA, too.
A little googling revealed that it was.
So much for that!
PS. The good news is that VitaMix, acknowledging the issue with BPA's, now sells a BPA-free upgrade to their traditional blender. You can check it out here--
http://www.vitamix.com/household/products/super5000/5200faq.asp
http://www.vitamix.com/household/infocenter/5200Release101907.asp
Given the amount of work required for the canned beans, I assumed the dry ones would be a real nuisance. To my surprise, they weren't. I could have soaked them overnight, but instead, I decided to just boil them for a few hours and see how I did. The result was virtually the same. My real challenge came when I discovered that my tahini had separated...Still, I threw it all into our VitaMix blender, whipped it until it was smooth, added some roasted red peppers from a glass jar (thank you very much), spooned the hummus into a glass bowl and back into the jars I bought the peppers in and called it done.
But as I was washing out the hard plastic blender pitcher, I realized it probably was made out of BPA, too.
A little googling revealed that it was.
So much for that!
PS. The good news is that VitaMix, acknowledging the issue with BPA's, now sells a BPA-free upgrade to their traditional blender. You can check it out here--
http://www.vitamix.com/household/products/super5000/5200faq.asp
http://www.vitamix.com/household/infocenter/5200Release101907.asp
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