AUGUSTA, Maine — A coalition of Maine health and environmental groups is preparing to launch the next campaign against bisphenol-A, or BPA, on the heels of tests that found the controversial chemical additive in 11 of 12 samples of baby food in the state.
Additionally, coalition members are accusing some prominent baby food manufacturers of violating or attempting to evade Maine’s BPA disclosure rules.
Roughly six weeks ago, new rules took effect banning the use of BPA in children’s sippy cups and other reusable food or beverage containers that are sold in Maine. On Tuesday, Feb. 14, groups will announce plans to petition state regulators to extend that prohibition to containers that hold baby food, infant formula and food marketed at toddlers.
“BPA coming from diet is a significant source of exposure, and that is mostly coming from food containers,” said Amanda Sears, associate director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, a member of the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine.
Noting the success of the BPA ban in sippy cups, Sears added: “This is the next phase of that — getting BPA out of our diets.”
The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine said recent tests prove that BPA — an additive linked in some studies to learning disabilities, reproductive problems, cancer and obesity — is leaching into baby food. That’s because BPA, in addition to being used as a hardening agent in plastics, is commonly used to make the epoxy liners that form a barrier between metal in cans or lids and food in those containers.
The organization sent away for testing a dozen samples of baby food as well as three types of canned food marketed to young children, including Chef Boyardee macaroni and cheese and Campbell’s Dora the Explorer soup.
Eleven of the 12 baby food samples and all three canned foods tested positive for BPA. The baby food manufacturers were Beech-Nut, Gerber, Earth’s Best Organic and Wild Harvest Organic, which is marketed by the Shaw’s supermarket chain. Gerber recently stopped using BPA in containers while Earth’s Best has pledged to stop using the chemical by October.
Sears did not release details Monday about the levels of BPA found in the baby food.
Although used for decades, BPA has come under heavy scrutiny in recent years as a growing body of medical studies suggest the chemical can pose risks to children and developing fetuses. The chemical industry, meanwhile, continues to defend BPA as safe and points out that such major governmental entities as the World Health Organization have said it would be premature to impose restrictions on the chemical.
The debate occasionally crosses into the political realm, as well. Gov. Paul LePage strongly opposed the current ban because he did not believe there was scientific consensus on the issue. Maine lawmakers disagreed, however, and voted 35-0 in the Senate and 145-3 in the House last year to ban BPA in reusable beverage containers.
The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine and a group called Mainely Moms and Dads will hold a press conference in the State House on Feb. 14 to discuss the results of the product tests. They also will announce plans to use the state’s citizen-initiated rule-making procedure to request that the Board of Environmental Protection adopt rules prohibiting BPA in infant formula and baby or toddler food containers sold in Maine.
Samantha DePoy-Warren, spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection, said she could not comment on the rule-making petition until staff have had a chance to review the proposal. But she said the department appreciates the Environmental Health Strategy Center’s willingness to pay for product testing and has asked for the detailed results.
“Given our [limited] resources, we really see a group like the Environmental Health Strategy Center as a partner,” DePoy-Warren said.
BPA was banned in new, reusable beverage containers sold in Maine beginning Jan. 1 under rules adopted through the 4-year-old state law known as the Kid-Safe Products Act. As part of those rules, manufacturers of baby food, infant formula and some toys also are required to report to the department whether any of their products contain BPA and, if so, whether there were safer, alternative ingredients available.
Some companies have been more forthcoming than others, however, according to both the department and the Environmental Health Strategy Center.
In a Jan. 13 letter to DEP Commissioner Patricia Aho, the center’s Michael Belliveau urged the department to take action against seven manufacturers of baby food or baby toys for potential violations of the disclosure rules.
The group has singled out two baby food manufacturers — Beech-Nut and Wild Harvest Organics — as failing to disclose the use of BPA in components of their packaging.
DePoy-Warren said a “letter of warning” has been drafted for submission to Beech-Nut and is waiting final approval. Department staff have also drafted a letter to be sent to SuperValu, the manufacturer of Wild Harvest Organic products, requesting information certifying that the company is in compliance with state laws regarding BPA, which DePoy-Warren said is an earlier step in the enforcement process. If the companies ultimately fail to address the issues, they could receive notices of violation from the department and could face potential fines.
“In both of these cases, we were already aware of those issues and are pursuing progressive enforcement action” against the companies, DePoy-Warren said.
On Tuesday evening, a spokeswoman from Beech-Nut released the following statement insisting that the company’s packaging no longer contain BPA:
“Nothing is more important to Beech-Nut than the quality and safety of our products,” Beech-Nut said in the statement. “Since October 2011, all Beech-Nut baby and toddler food packaging has been produced without BPA-containing material. This was communicated by Beech-Nut to Maine state officials in November 2011. Reports stating otherwise are incorrect.”
Sears with the Environmental Health Strategy Center noted that all of the manufacturers of infant formula have reportedly stopped using BPA in their containers, which she said indicates that alternatives are available in the marketplace.
Simple fix, feed your kids real food. It’s not like they are pets and you need cat food for cats and dog food for dogs and horse feed…….etc. Feeding children manufactured food is a recent development in human history and not seemingly one of the better choices. Take the time to educate yourself on what babies need and prepare it. My own 2 are 29 and 35 and never ate a drop of commercially prepared baby food. Hearty and healthy,both of them.
Babies do very well on table food put through the Happy Baby food grinder. My 4 are 30-38 and rarely ate canned baby food. It was and is way too expensive for what you get.
Before feeding your pets food marketed for them, read the label. The ingredients on way too many begin with corn and other grains, when did you ever see a cat eating corn, and many have meat digest, you don’t want to know. Research what the ingredients are in your pet’s food and where they come from. Your pets will be better off eating table food and raw meat. If you become curious about your own food, begin researching where the grocery store meats and veggies come from. You may be surprised and change your eating habits.
I have cats that growl at each other over broccoli…and they eat corn right off the cob.
Corn off the cob is vastly different from the crap they put in pet food. Look up aflatoxin mold and I can tell you that you will change your mind.
Cats and dogs do not need to eat a diet where the number one ingredient is corn. Look for something that lists a specific meat meal as the first ingredient, such as chicken meal, lamb meal, etc.
There are so many alternatives to the grocery store crap, it’s worth your while to investigate for yourself.
My dogs lick their own butts. I don’t think a little meat digest is gonna kill them.
Don’t you know the government has to be responsible for everything and everyone now? Teachers are responsible for raising children, cops are responsible for underage drinking and drug use, Gov. Lepage is responsible for diet, and the 50% of Mainers that work are responsible for raising their own families and the other 50%. Welcome to the 21st Century.
Government in America is the American people. So really, you are saying that Americans have responsibility to other Americans, which is a sentiment i truly agree with. However, for some reason, you seem to think that this is a bad thing.
I don’t know about you, but the government is NOT representing me in any way, shape, or form. My black lab could run this country better than the career politicians that are in right now. Republican or democrat.
Would you like to go back to the days before government regulation of food.One could buy diet pills that really, really worked.They contained tape worm eggs.Perhaps you should read THE JUNGLE.
I am not so lazy that I would rely on drugs to lose weight, it is my responsibility as to what I put in my mouth. It is very simple, does meat last 3-4 weeks in a refrigerator? No it doesn’t, therefore there is probably something in it to make it, which isn’t natural. I don’t need the government to tell me what to eat. They “warn” us about cigarettes, how is that working out?
Would you really, truly want no one (including the mean old government) checking up on whether or not huge corporations are putting poisons into the food you buy at the grocery store?
Are you such a deep believer in personal responsibility that you are saving up to outfit a laboratory so you can analyze the contents of your shopping cart all by yourself?
The point should be that all food should be safe.If it’s being sold in this state,it should free of harmful chemicals. I know the gov doesn’t think it’s a bad thing, but food saftey is important.Just because some made their own baby food shouldn’t be the issue.Saftey should.
There was a time when businesses cared about their customers, then greed took over.
Like my mother used to say, “Not everyone has your best interest at heart.”
my sentiments exactly, jess!
Exactly! I didn’t have a baby food grinder but managed quite well with a second hand blender to blend food to feed my babies. That was after I washed cloth diapers and hung them on the clothesline.
Though I agree, and made my own babyfood as well as feeding (what I THOUGHT was safe, organic Earth’s Best) jarred, it’s just a fact that in this day and age, convienience foods are a way of life. I would like to think that although homemade is best, I can safely pick up a jar of babyfood and be assured I am giving my infant nothing but pure, chemical-free food.
What was the one product that did not test positively for BPA?????
Probably a sugar-filled, dye-injected Spongebob gogurt or some such thing filled with various other poisons. But forget that, we’re on BPA here people, let’s demonize and preach nonsense while we have everyone’s blind attention!
I bet I know how the governor feels…so the worst thing that happens is we have a few babies around that grow little beards.
LOL!!! I was waiting for that! Didn’t take long!
Why are they buying baby food ? I never bought any for my kids, I made it all. Don’t be so lazy!
Right … it’s the peoples fault!!
You’ve never used canned tomatoes in any of your food? High levels of BPA in the can linings.
That’s an unfair statement. We are all lazy then since the majority of us buy canned goods of some sort.
Hope the plastic around that sign is BPA free!
Good observation, thats the FIRST step in insuring your Babies Health!
I was thinking the same thing. You don’t know what’s in that plastic! Has the baby grown a little beard yet?
Oh my, look , she has a little beard…LOL….
It amazes me that people have kids and then protest when the world around them isn’t “safe enough” for their liking.
I agree with jessiebud, feed your kids real food.
But it’s their “right” to have kids! While the rest of us put off having kids or opt out completely due to a number of reasons — including not to bring innocent children into a messed-up world — others breed with reckless abandon then demand special accommodations that cost the rest of us a bundle.
Do you not think that since there is an FDA that that department should do its job. There is propylene glycol, food-grade, or course, in many processed foods and personal use products.
Many personal use products, packaged to fraudulently give evidence of their ‘purity’ contain
neurotoxins. Again, these are FDA approved because the amounts contained are minimal.
However, the FDA still does not consider low-level, long-term use of products, and products are released before these studies can occur, of course.
If you are happy applying neurotoxins to your body on a daily basis – that is certainly your decision. Would you not rather support a system that makes wise choices. But I’m wasting typespace here.
could not agree with you more
Special accommodations–like food that isn’t contaminated with poisons, for the benefit of corporate profit increases?
http://www.babyledweaning.com/ If you have a baby, I strongly suggest this method. :) Wayyyyyy easier.
….
Our food supply is the safest in the world. The fact is, we produce more food than any other country and export more food that any other country. So it stands to reason that we will have relatively more instances of food-borne problems. The key is the ratio. Just because we have some food issues, do we have relatively more food supply safety & health issues over other western first-world countries? The answer is no. I would take our food system of FDA regulated farms, markets, processing facilities and packing plants over other countries any day. People who have a problem can live on a farm or pay more for organic. Of course with organic you might get that nasty little bacteria from the wild and have food that doesn’t stay fresh as long… oh well.
….
So, rather than decry a tainted food supply, comments below are about not feeding the kid packaged food at all … and while this is a great idea… do people think that it is OK to produce crap and feed it to our children? Why have the FDA at all.. just let corporations get rid of their toxic chemicals ion the food chain, like china does… who cares.. you should be feeding your children whole foods anyway!!.. this is not logical….
Corp Agra is feeding us all tainted food designed to grow, with little thought to nutrition.
Processed foods are a reality and they should be safe to eat.
Wow this BPA stuff is as bad for you as global warming and sacarin
I know, it’s like DDT around here. …. Oh wait, millions have died since they stopped using DDT due to Malaria increasing, and “Silent Spring” author Rachel Carson is responsible for more deaths than Hitler. Who wants to be the next Rachel Carlson?… step right up ladies.. be overly concerned and self righteously over-emotional about something you know nothing about… step right up! Tell all your friends and be the thoughtful informed one who really cares, then simultaneously make them feel awful and under-informed. One-upping your sewing-circle friends and making them feel as low as Judas for not knowing about BPA whilst holding your head high on a ridiculously irrelevant issue is just the thing for those moody female hormone blues.
Little beards .Little beards
Everywhere I turn I can see them…
This is classic BDN fear-mongering. BPA is hardly the most dangerous thing a baby could put in their mouths. The levels needed to be consumed to reach toxic levels are epic, and impossible to consume. I chalk this BPA fear nonsense right up their with people who whine about Fluoride, vaccines, and radon. A misinformed half-truth which has been repeated so many times that a bunch of women who think they are special for being privy to something that most are not, as if they are so thoughtful and great for caring about BPA. Get real. Read this and get over yourselves: http://mommymythbuster.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/myth-10-baby-bottles-with-bpa-are-dangerous/ and this: http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20080815/bisphenol-a-safe-says-fda and this: http://greenhellblog.com/2010/10/26/activists-are-dangerous-not-bpa/ and this: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/bpa-and-thanksgiving-enjoy-your-dinner-with-no-fear/ But why trust science when you can buy into some self-righteous uber-mommy nonsense who think that because they “heard something from a friend” about a bit of science taken out of context that most people don’t know about, that it must be true? GET OVER YOURSELVES! Try something relevant like keeping small sharp objects out of reach, not minute chemicals in plastic. Heck, there’s chlorine in city water and that’s a carcinogen…. Ooooh noooo, let’s have a rally and be all forward thinking, open minded, & modern and wear a hijab and be proud of ourselves for not hating… ugghh – hurl… double huuuurrlll… blech…
Regardless of any helpful input you might have had to this discussion, your overly bombastic and belligerent approach truly defeats your purpose. I followed up on your links and found that 3 out of 4 of them are more than two years old, and the 4th was fiercely disputed by almost every commenter who read the article. On a topic that is still currently under research a two year old blog isn’t a very useful or potentially accurate arguing point. Your 4th link, still a blog yet more current, is largely negated by its own readers and remains ineffective at illuminating the debate in any substantial manner.
Again, I appreciate your effort to contribute to the discussion but being a bit of unwarranted jerk in the process works completely contrary to your own objective. Next time try not making the assumption that people in search of answers are universally and inherently ignorant.
Your concerns of my relevancy and implied shamefulness would be pertinent if this weren’t an anonymous system which allows for anyone and everyone to post anything at all without fear of bona-fide social reprisal or consequence. My purpose is to sound-off in a brash and unhinged manner so as to cause notice in a way counter to the contrived concerned furrowed-brow approach of all the phony Eric Holder, and Janet Mills types of the world of which this issue wreaks. My bombastic-ness is in response to the sheer vanilla-edged vapid audacity of this whole issue which exists mainly because of exhaustive and alarmist media reports that drone on for years about the issue and the supposed dangers at length, only to have a tiny caveat at the end of the article stating something like “research continues on this issue which is debated and as yet unclear”. Well hell, let’s all rally in the streets and write letters to the editor about how government needs to regulate this “potentially” dangerous aspect of our lives. Meanwhile those same people wont get out on the streets to protest about government spending, debt limits, or the hijacking of the health care system by a socialist cabal, but they’ll talk at length about phantom plastic bottle and can-liner chemicals.
As you stated this method of discussion under the guise of a anonymous username can lead to unrestrained emotional discourse and grandstanding, which only tends to lead towards more of the same from either side. I can certainly appreciate your passion, if not your stance or tactics.
Whether you’re Chicken Little, or Paul Revere there will always be someone warning us of eminent danger on the horizon and you won’t know which one it is until all the facts are in. It feels like to me that the caveat you mentioned makes for an unbiased and non-alarming article. The information is laid out for you, then ends with a, “the verdict’s still out”. I guess depending on who you are this is either, alarming or informative.
As for the reluctant protesters you mentioned; how could you possibly know who these people are and exactly what they do or don’t do? You accept that a majority of contributors in these forums are under an alias, myself and you included, but yet you assume to know when and where these people are or are not. Perhaps you’re not seeing anyone at your protests because of a lack of support. Depending on how you read that it’s either, alarming or informative.
The real question is why not abandon using materials and ingredients that are not necessary to begin with. So much that is contained in food and other products are petroleum by-products. Nothing directly against them, but do you need propylene glycol in your food as a thickener, rather than corn starch — which is now most likely GMO-corporate corn anyway… never mind.
Another classic case of fringe groups trying to use big government to infringe on the rights of infants and toddlers to consume the harmful chemicals of their choice.
Would that it were as simple as many posters here seem to think it is to avoid the stuff. My kids never ate pre-packaged baby food, but we did make our own spaghetti sauce and salsa using (gasp!) canned tomatoes. Turns out that they have some of the highest levels of BPA- the more acidic the food, the more likely the can is lined with the stuff. A few of the pricey organic canned tomatoes don’t have the stuff (even some “organic” canned goods have bpa lined cans!), but it’s hard to find that out, and few have the money for that option. Fresh is clearly best, and jarring your own veggies from the garden is ideal, but obviously not practical for all.
Corporate food producers/packagers should not be given a free pass on putting toxic chemicals in our food supply.
Families that can’t afford the luxury (in time or money) of buying pricey organics, researching each and every ingredient source, and/or growing their own food should not be faced with poisoning.
Yes, even the organic baby foods tested positive for BPA, and contain lots of other “unanticipated” ingredients.
I agree the best alternative is to feed yourself and your baby self-prepared food from fresh, local and organic items. It’s the only way you can be sure of what you’re putting into yours and your baby’s system.
With that said unless your full time, or even part time, job is taking care of your child it can be difficult to prepare from scratch every little thing you and your child eats. Inevitably you will find yourself in a situation where a commercially prepared item is your only option. Even though it’s not the ideal parents/cosumers should be able to take advantage of these time-saving products without fear of adverse consequences to the health of their child.
It maybe considered overly cautious by some to be banning these items premature of a unanimous verdict of their danger, but where my child in concerned, “overly cautious” is a way of life considering the world we live in.
However, it is not reasonable that even a dedicated home-grower can produce all food needed. Even when possible, crop failures can result in eating only potatoes.
Sounds like child abuse Gov, you should get right on it.
This study has no mention of BPA levels in the food just on the metal lids. Is there a safe level of BPA ? These studies and testing are the results of the “Czech J. Food Science.” Where are US studies on BPA?http://www.agriculturejournals.cz/web/cjfs.htm
For everyone posting on here about how they made all their baby food for their kids (now in their 30’s), that’s great. So did my mom and I’m in my 30s. But she didn’t work. None of our moms did back then. They had enough time to do things like prepare homemade food from scratch for us. Today, staying at home is not a reality for most moms financially (unless they are *gasp* living off the state which BDN posters seem to complain about so much). It’s no coincindence that the high rise in the use and availability of prepackaged foods and meals has risen with the number of working women. It may not be ideal, but it is a reality. Today’s moms don’t have all the time our moms did. So, yes, we may need to buy prepackaged food foor our families, like baby food (and Campbells soup, and Macaroni and cheese, etc). We should be able to buy SAFE foods. We shouldn’t have to worry about the harm that may be caused to our babies by the foods we buy. And for people underestimating the damage BPA can do, consider this. We have only recently as a society discovered the possible hazards of BPA. So recently that there is not yet A TON of evidence to prove it, just enough to cause concern. Lack of proof of a problem does not equal a lack of a problem. Try to understand this, and try to explain it to the governor.
You said that well and made some very valid points.
If you don’t like it don’t buy it. Stop making things more expensive for the rest of us. Besides the only sources that say BPA is bad are funded by environmentalist. Environmentalist = lies.
“Environmentalist = lies”? Really? Does that go for the whole lot? So anyone who argues for the environment or any health related issue is inherently deceptive. Would you then say that, Corporations = trust?
I wouldn’t presume to generalize an entire group with one over simplified stereotype. History has been resplendent with people who have demonized entire groups of people to help bolster their own objectives. As much as people would like the world to be simplified down to us and them, this or that, black and white, it just isn’t the case.
I’m continually disheartened by these type of blanket comments. It does nothing put foster animosity and distrust. This isn’t engagement, it’s resentment. It brings nothing to the table and furthers no ones goals.
Companies = lies…..they could produce and sell it to you for the same price, but they would take a small hit, so they don’t…..
If you think environmental regulations are unnecessary, please take a trip to China — and then let us know how that strategy is working for folks over there.
COME ON !! You’re protesting a little bit of a chemical that your 15 pd baby would have to eat 80 pds of it a day to be affected at all………… AND YOU LET YOUR KID CHEW ON THE POSTER BOARD? Do you know what chemicals are used to make paper?? Here’s a few of the facts for you and a link to the rest: Hydrogen Peroxide, Chlorine Dioxide, Caustic Lye, Asbestine, Ammonium Zirconium Carbonate http://www.paperonweb.com/chemical.htm !! Someone call DHHS and have her investigated for child abuse!
Maybe if LePage’s wife and daughter “grew little beards” – he might take this seriously.
yessah