NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – The non-profit group Clean Water Action has released a new study on local retailers selling food cans lined with BPA. The study tested nearly 200 canned foods made by major manufactures and sold at major retailers. They only tested one store in Western Massachusetts: the Wal-Mart located in Hadley.
Their research found five out of the six cans tested contained the chemical BPA. Manufacturers use the plastic to line the inside of the metal cans and preserve food shelf life without a metallic taste.
Clean Water Action wants to put pressure on manufacturers, retailers and lawmakers to eliminate BPA from food containers, claiming low income people are most at risk. “There are a lot of folks in this area and across the country who rely on food pantries to feed their families,” Clean Water Action community organizer Sarah Moffett told 22News. “You are going to find lots of non-perishable canned foods in a place like that, so you can’t really avoid these chemicals if you have no other choice but to feed your families with these canned foods.”
BPA was banned from baby bottles In 2014, but that ban didn’t extend to food packaging. 22News contacted Wal-Mart, but have not heard back.
