I was shocked to read an article on Planet Green (posted on Facebook via CleanPlatesNYC) called, 7 Foods So Unsafe Even Farmers Won’t Eat Them. There were a few frequent offenders like farmed salmon, corn-fed beef and hormone-produced milk (all not a problem for my vegan diet). But when I read the quip about canned tomatoes, I reached for my stacks of San Marzano canned tomatoes and began to whimper. Canned tomatoes a “no no” ? Really? Here’s why, and what you can do about it…
Here is the “canned tomatoes” excerpt from the Planet Green article:
“1. Canned Tomatoes
The Expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A.
The Reason: Tin cans are lined with a resin that contains the synthetic estrogen bisphenol-A, which has been linked to a slew of health problems including heart disease, diabetes, reproductive problems, and obesity. But that’s not the biggest problem. The acid in tomatoes breaks down that bisphenol-A, leaching it into the food, and not just in insignificant amounts. According to the article, Saal comments that “you can get 50 mcg of BCA per liter out of a tomato can, and that’s a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young.” That’s why he’s not touching the stuff.
The Solution: If you lo0ve the taste of “canned” tomatoes but prefer to skip the bisphenol-A, select glass bottles instead.”
read the complete article (all 7 foods) here, Planet Green.
Can-Free Solutions? I was quite shocked that I had never heard of this tomato can theory before. Thanks to CleanPlatesNYC for spreading this article around. (btw, Clean Plates NYC is an awesome NYC restaurant guide). So I replied to the post by CleanPlatesNYC on facebook:
“Wow the canned tomatoes one was very interesting. Kinda kills my san marzano tomato obsession!” -me
they replied back, “Pomi makes a few different tomato products in boxes and they can be found and bought online. Not sure about retail stores. Bionature makes strained tomatoes and tomato paste in glass jars and I am pretty sure is available at Whole Foods and small health food stores” – CleanPlatesNYC
So I looked into this…
Amazon sells a variety of Pomi products: Pomi products on Amazon
A commenter alerted me that Trader Joe’s offers tomatoes in a Tetra Pak. Awesome! That’s great news since I love Trader Joe’s products and prices.
And I found these San Marzano tomatoes in a lovely glass jar:
I will also check Whole Foods Market to see if they carry any boxed or glass jarred tomatoes.
I certainly don’t want to scare you, I’m sure most of us (including me) won’t completely ban canned tomatoes from our diets (right now). But it is an interesting factoid that you may want to look into further.
Will I Buy Canned Tomatoes?
I will still buy canned tomatoes in moderation – until I can research a second opinion on this. Anyone want to weigh in??
PS on Packaging…
Another plus in using boxed or glass tomatoes is the fact that you won’t be buying plastic. With all the concern over BPA – BPA free glass is my choice over plastic nowadays.
You are a Smarty Tomato for being inquisitive about the foods you eat!
I thought Tetra Paks are recyclable in certain locales. In NY, we put all plastic-coated paper into the plastic recycling bin.
For those who are interested, Cost Plus carries Pomi tomatoes in the tetrapacks: $3.70 for 24 oz.
Thank you Andrea for for the tip on Bionaturae. I found it at Vitacost.com cheaper than Amazon because the shipping was cheaper. But I'm still on the lookout for jarred, organic, diced or whole tomatoes. I don't understand in this day and age why that would be so hard to find. Thank you Kathy for opening up the dialogue on this subject:)
I read that same article several months ago in Prevention Magazine. Really makes you think, huh? I'm plotting my vegetable garden now……
I've heard that Eden foods is one of the few companies that have BPA-free cans. I'm pretty sure they don't make canned tomatoes though. This stuff is really scary. I rarely buy anything in a can and try to make everything from scratch.
First of all an "endocrinologist" is a specialized medical doctor. Fred vom Saal is simply a "researcher". Secondly in order to get 50mcg of "BCA" (BPA?) you would need to eat 1 liter of tomatoes. That would be more than two normal size cans. Do you feed your kids that much?? If so you have a bigger problem. The 50 mcg figure is also a figure that is in question. Not all research is done in a robust, sustainable manner, much like most reporting!
yosoyblog,
I did not know that about Tetra Paks. I always assumed they were biodegradable. I still say they are better than plastic, BPS free at least – but as I researched a bit, you are right about them being very difficult to recycle.
~Kathy
Unfortunately Tetra Pak is horrible for the environment as it cannot be recycled. I'm afraid to even go see how much those glass jar tomatoes cost at Whole Foods 🙁
I know that Eden doesn't use any BPA linings in their canned beans (and they are the only company not to…) So BUY EDEN BRAND FOODS!! as for tomatoes, go with the bionature or tetra- pac containers for sure 🙂
ALSO: making your own beans is so easy! if you have a pressure cooker just put them in, cover with water, possibly throw in a chunk of kombu, and turn the dial to 30 mins! (or follow instructions on your own pressure cooker)
I've been concerned about this for a while, and switched several months ago to Bionaturae organic jarred tomatoes and tomato paste. I've bought the strained tomatoes which are like tomato purée. I haven't found whole or crushed tomatoes, yet, but will look into Trader Joe's.
This has me whimpering for my San Marzano too, not to mention the Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed tomatoes I love.
I have been buying the Bionaturae tomato paste lately bec I find the Muir Glen tomato paste too acidic. Maybe it's time to switch altogether to them, or Pomi.
I have heard of this too (foodpolitics.com among other places), and it seems to be true for ALL canned goods, not just tomatoes from what I can tell. I eat canned beans several times a week… but can you can your own beans? It's my main source of protein (and so delicious). Hmmm… scary.
Thanks Enia, I thought I may have seen some there before, glad u confirmed. I updated my post to include this info.
~Kathy
oh. that is quite a shock, since we eat canned tomatoes (in different recipes) sometimes three times a week!
Trader Joe's also has a Tetrapak tomato option which is much cheaper than the Pomi products. I found out about the BPA issue from that same original post and I've found the Tetrapak tomatoes to be a great option.
I have been aware of this for a while and have been searching for boxed or jarred ORGANIC tomatoes and havn't been able to find any. I guess our choices are either ingest BPA or PESTICIDES. If anyone knows where to buy ORGANIC tomatoes in BPA free packaging please tell us.
Another great option is to "can" your own tomatoes, which actually ends up being in sterilized jars- they you can enjoy Local tomatoes that you trust all year long.