The title is a line from Dirty Dancing… The Dad at the end… Anyone? Jokes aside… This post has me a little nervous, a little angry at my slip on the detective front and a little excited all at once, helping me get clear on exactly what I believe in and my commitment to being transparent about what I recommend and what I know about what I recommend.
Today I was reminded of something I’m often reminded of, and that is that you never stop learning. There is always something new.
I’m talking about BPA and BPA lining of coconut cream tins. When I started researching such a thing about 5 years ago, I came across an article that seemed completely believable to me at the time – finally something on a major site that clarified something I’d wanted to know about BPA lined cans. I was from then on under the impression as I’m sure many of you have been, that the BPA lining of a can was a visual cue of a whitish plastic inside the tin. It turns out that’s not the case. Bio Natura, an Italian canning brand for example, has a whitish lining, and is BPA free, using the new ‘BPA NI’ lining (without BPA)! Whether that’s safer or not is debatable of course, but for today, the ‘visual cue myth’ needs to be dispelled.
I’m talking about a product I love and sadly that is AYAM coconut cream – a product I have recommended for a long time and touted as a BPA free product, free from the many additives and thickeners of other coconut creams.
I stand by my word on the ‘free from’ bit about additives. They’re the best on that front. I can’t unfortunately continue to say ‘BPA free’ because, as it turns out, they’re not.
Click here to read this from their website
The results ‘parameter’ from their tests for leaching, tested for levels above 0.5% per kilo. The EU directive states a migration limit of 0.6mg to the kg is ‘safe’ for food. It is a positive that it tests lower than that, but they certainly don’t make the statement of NIL detection…. just under 0.5% to the kilo.
In discussing the matter recently with Dr Peter Dingle, a PHD in Environmental toxicology, he would argue that there is no safe level of BPA, and the principle danger from his research lies in long term storage as the leaching increases over time – so canning with BPA lining, ain’t so crash hot.
Many scientists today also argue that there is no safe level, when it comes to endocrine disruption, and this resonates with me as a concerned citizen. “A poison kills you,” says biology professor Frederick vom Saal. “A chemical like BPA reprograms your cells and ends up causing a disease in your grandchild that kills him.” (source Mother Jones)
I will leave it up to you to decide of course, but there was no way I could not come forward with this information now that I know better.
Please note that this is not an AYAM defamation of any kind. I love their product, the fact that they don’t spray or use any GM ingredients, and do hope sincerely that they will move to a BPA free can very soon. I also note, that of the possible BPA levels in cans, AYAM is the lowest I’ve seen (ref some common brands in America here to show a comparison of very high levels). I will be contacting Ayam personally to discuss this and find out what their time line is on removing BPA so that I can recommend their product once more, as I do feel flavour, additive factor and texture wise, it’s the best.
WHY NOT SIGN MY PETITION TO GET THEM TO SWAP TO BPA FREE CANS? CLICK HERE
Until then, I will be testing my home made coconut cream in a few of them and adjusting those recipes as needed to reflect the use of a different textured ingredient. You can buy the Honest to Goodness additive and BPA free cream from now on (i’ve already ordered a case of course!).
It all comes down to moving closer to nature! Next question: Is there BPA in the plastic pouches that carry the desiccated coconut.? See what I mean about always learning? I will keep you posted on my findings there.
Important here is this: We cannot stress about every single little thing. Prolonged stress will cause you far more damage, as it prevents various parts of the body from functioning optimally – namely your digestive and immune systems! Relax about the learning journey. We will get there. Things do get easier. As I said yesterday…
Onwards and upwards. Yours truthfully,
