The Thing About TOP CHEF That Drives Me Nuts, Not That I'll Stop Watching

I admit it.  I love TOP CHEF.  I love to cook and I love a good competition, so it's a nice combination for me.

Those who watch it know that Glad is a longtime sponsor of the show.  The contestants always pack up their ingredients in glad containers when they hit the road, and use Glad wrap, storage bags, trash bags.

The good news is that Glad states the following on its website:

"Glad food containers, wraps, and storage bags and other food contact products are not made of Polycarbonate nor is Bisphenol A (BPA) used as a raw material in their production."

The bad news is that on practically every episode, I see the chefs placing boiling or piping-hot soups, etc, into the containers for transport.

Even Glad's answers to its FAQ will suggest this is ill-advised. 

Is it okay to wash GladWare® Containers in the dishwasher?

GladWare® Containers are top-rack dishwasher safe.

Is it safe to place a GladWare® Container in boiling water?

No. We do not recommend using GladWare® Containers in this manner.

Look, if it's not safe to put them in the bottom of the dishwasher and it's not safe to place them in boiling water, why would anyone think it's safe to put boiling things into them, much less food items that will then go into someone's body?

Drives me nuts.

nuts

Folks, pay attention: plastics leach chemicals into food and beverages.  Don't watch TOP CHEF and think that putting boiling hot food into plastic containers is okay.

Ok, lecture over.

BPA Is in "BPA-Free" Cans, Too.

Today, a friend forwarded to me an article titled "Concern Over Canned Foods."  The article details findings from Consumer Reports' latest test for BPA in canned foods.   BPA is a known endocrine disruptor.  It mimics your own hormones and has been connected to obesity, breast and prostate cancer, negative effects on fetal and infant brain development, and other terrible stuff.

The article states a few interesting things:

1.  Federal guidelines, based on experiments done in the 1980s, put the daily upper limit of safe exposure at 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight.   However, several animal studies show adverse effects, such as abnormal reproductive development, at exposures of 2.4 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day.  Clearly, the federal guidelines need dramatic revision.

2. "The canned organic foods we tested did not always have lower BPA levels than nonorganic brands of similar foods analyzed. We even found the chemical in some products in cans that were labeled "BPA-free.""  The implications are obvious - if you think you're making a safe choice by going organic, you are not necessarily doing so.

3. "In Japan, most major manufacturers voluntarily changed their can linings in 1997 to cut or eliminate the use of BPA because of concerns about health effects. A 2003 Japanese study found that the levels of the chemical in subjects' urine dropped by 50 percent after the change in cans was made."  This means it's not too late to get your body back on track.

The main conclusion: dump the canned food.

So far, I've restricted my family's exposure to canned goods to one single brand, Eden Organic, because of its "BPA-free" can, but even this brand was mentioned in the study as containing trace amounts of BPA.  For at least a year, we've been enjoying the canned navy beans with some frequency and occasionally use the canned pizza sauce, too. 

I am both idealist and realist.  I aspire to keep my kids' bodies as healthy as possible while still under my watch, and I think I do a pretty good job of it most of the time.  With this new knowledge, I will learn to make my own pizza sauce and freeze it, or I'll buy a version in a glass jar.  I will also start soaking and cooking my own beans.  But I know that my kids will end up eating some Halloween candy that has artificial colors and flavors, attend birthday parties where unnaturally-red fruit punch is served, and have an occasional slice of pizza that's made of non-organic ingredients.  I also know that there will be nights when canned Eden Organic beans will be part of the meal.   Because 1 ppb of BPA might be preferable to me blowing a gasket.