ISO bpa-free tuna in Toronto

[Idas]

I am trying to get bpa out of my kitchen.
Tuna is big for my daughter so I am trying to source bpa-free tins.
Anyone seen them at Whole foods or other?
thanks!!
Idas

[jayt90]

I don't buy canned tuna; instead small packs of IQF tuna in cryovac at Metro, for $33/kg. It is fine for a quick sear, or sashimi.

[Flexitarian]

Regarding BPA, I emailed John West regarding their canned fish products and they told me that 'some of John West’s tinned products are lined with a lacquer that contains a derivate of Bisphenol. By contact, tiny amounts of Bisphenol A are able to migrate but within the EU regulation limits (under 600µg/kg)'.

I also emailed Harold T. Griffin Inc who make 'Tanner' brand products and they replied 'Tanner products come from the North Atlantic and are packed in Scotland. The tins currently have BPA but our packer is working on an alternative.'

So, it seems that the only BPA-free canned products are the Wild Planet albacore tuna cans (available at the Healthy Butcher and maybe other places in Toronto) and Raincoast Trading (but I am not sure if it is all products but the sardines are), http://www.raincoasttrading.com/faq/ which I buy at The Big Carrot.

It doesn't seem companies are jumping on the BPA-free bandwagon very fast, certainly not for products available here in Toronto (but I bet there are more in Europe). Also, it's odd that some companies reply that there is no alternative to the BPA-free cans they use, yet these two other companies seemed to have found them (unless either are lying).

[magic]

Thanks for your amazing legwork as usual. GREAT to know.

[Idas]

FYI, I have been purchasing Raincost BPA free wild tuna at Loblaws on Yonge & Yonge for 6.29 a can and I just found it at Lady York on Dufferin $ 4.69 That is too big a price difference.
Shesh Loblaws!

[prima]

Pretty sure I paid $3.99/can (on sale) for Raincoast tuna at Whole Foods this past weekend.

[Idas]

Thanks Prima!!
You saved me a bundle. I dropped into whole foods. It was still on sale today.
I also want to comment that Raincoast Tuna also fishes hook and line (no huge eco devastating nets) and the fish as sustainably as possible in the Pacific coast.

This is indeed important.
thanks again!!

[prima]

And it's canned in Canada, not Thailand ;-) Happy to hear it was still on sale when you went shopping!

[Flexitarian]

The only fish I eat out of cans are sardines and mackerel. Anyone know where I can get BPA-free canned varieties of these?

[5secondrule]

I don't know about mackerel, but most canned sardines, including Brunswick, are packed in aluminum cans, which don't have a BPA lining.

[Flexitarian]

Then I wonder why not all tuna is packed in BPA-free aluminum. Does it have to do with the type of fish?

[haggisdragon]

are you sure about that? its got to be lined with something.

[5secondrule]

Well, I read it on another (unrelated) forum. Someone had emailed Brunswick about it, and received a reply from them that their sardine tins were BPA-free. I would love to know for sure what the actual deal is. The more I read on the subject, the leerier I am of both BPA and aluminum, and this thread is making me think I should switch to Wild Planet or the glass jars.

[Flexitarian]

It's odd then that they don't tout this on their packaging as it is a real competitive advantage for some consumers. Raincoast Trading packs their 'Wild Pacific Sardines' in a 'BPA Free Can' and these exact words are printed right on the packaging. Interesting that it is a 'Product of Thailand'. Still haven't found any BPA free mackarel yet.

Given the recent studies showing that eating canned soup from a BPA-lined can increases the amount of BPA in your body astronomically I am very concerned about reducing my ingestion of this endocrine distruptor.

[5secondrule]

FWIW, this is where I originally saw the claims about Brunswick sardine tins:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread16714.html#post237135

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/...

As far as I can see there's no mention of BPA on Brunswick's packaging or website.

[Entore]

You can also get Callipo's mister Tonello Yellowfin light chunk tuna in olive oil at Longos and other Italian grocery stores in glass jars. May cost a bit more, but worth it if you are serious about reducing exposure to BPA and other unknown toxins in canned foods.

[lilaki]

i bought a jar of this last week ... it's DELICIOUS!!! $6.99 at my longos. not exactly a cheap habit but SO tasty.

[magic]

I did not realize Bisphenol A was in tinned products! Wow.

I thought it was an additive to plastics etc. I didn't realize it was in tins.....

Jeez.

[Wiley]

I believe the biggest leacher of BPA from the can or lining is tomatoes and tomato products--I only buy sauces, crushed tomatoes, etc in glass even though it usually costs more.

[magic]

Wow, very interesting. I guess I have some reading to do....

[lilaki]

you might be interested in a thread i started a while back: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/772463

[ikapai]

It's generally used to line tinned products to stop them from leaching a metallic taste into the food.

[magic]

I had no idea. Thanks!

[haggisdragon]

you have unwittingly hit the nail on the head in your wording. As tin is a relatively expensive and finnicky material. Can are no longer tinned the are 'bpa'd' so to speak.

[Apprentice]

Available at Pusateri's, Whole foods, Loblaws, and probably many other groceries.

http://www.raincoasttrading.com/faq/

-----
Pusateri's
1539 Avenue Rd, Toronto, ON M5M, CA

[peppermint pate]

This is the kind we most often buy (usually the salmon) - it's quite good. Idas, I'm not sure how old your daughter is or how much tuna she eats but given the generally high mercury levels in tuna, it is advised to limit the amount of tuna one eats, especially for young children.

[Idas]

Thanks for the reminder Peppermint Pate. She is 8 and I try to limit it to once every two weeks and despite my spouses sour face, light canned tuna as opposed to the albacore he will only consume.

I will make an effort to see if I can steer her towards pacific or alaskan salmon, reportedly the lower mercury options for salmon.

In the weaning phase, I was hoping to find Wild Planet light tuna.

[ManAbout]

Wild Planet is available at Loblaws, at least the one at Hwy 7 and Bayview.

[magic]

I just picked up some Wild Planet albacore tuna cans that are BPA free for $4.99 at The Heathy Butcher (Eglinton location). Thank you very much all for informing me of something I was totally unaware of.