“Fourteen of the largest public consumer packaged food and beverage companies are still using bisphenol A (BPA) in their packaging, despite studies linking the synthetic sex hormone to developmental problems, heart disease, and diabetes.” That’s according to “Seeking Safer Packaging: Ranking Packaged Food Companies on BPA,” a new report by Green Century Capital Management (www.greencentury.com/) and As You Sow (www.asyousow.org), a nonprofit organization that strives to increase corporate accountability.

BPA is used in can linings and some rigid, clear plastic containers. The chemical is known to leach from packaging into food and beverages. In March, rising consumer concern about BPA led the six largest baby bottle manufacturers to announce that they would phase out BPA from all bottles sold in the U.S.

"Given the number of studies linking BPA to serious diseases and developmental disorders, its continued use poses unnecessary risks for companies in the packaged food industry," states Amy Galland, As You Sow research director, who helped write the report.

For the report, investors asked 20 publicly traded companies what actions they are taking to respond to concerns regarding BPA. Green Century, an environmentally responsible investment advisory firm and manager of the Green Century Funds, initiated outreach to companies in November 2008. Of the 14 companies that responded, the report found that all but four had failed to develop safer alternatives, and only one company had begun using a substitute.

Only four given top scores
“Seeking Safer Packaging” awarded top scores to Hain Celestial, Heinz, and Nestle. These companies were identified by leaders because they research and test alternatives to BPA and because they plan to phase out the chemical in some products. According to the report, Heinz is the only respondent already using a substitute to BPA in some of its can linings.

The other companies contacted were Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola, ConAgra, Chiquita, Dean Foods, Del Monte, General Mills, Hershey, Hormel, J.M. Smucker, Kellogg, Kraft, McCormick, PepsiCo, Sara Lee, Sysco, and Unilever.

According to Green Century and As You Sow, companies that continue to use BPA in food and beverage packaging face competitive, reputational, and potential market exclusion risks. "Green Century is very concerned about the lack of urgency with which the packaged food industry is addressing BPA," states Larisa Ruoff, director of shareholder advocacy for Green Century. "Alternatives to BPA exist for many products. We believe companies should implement all feasible alternatives and increase investments into substitute can linings for all products, including highly-acidic foods."

A copy of “Seeking Safer Packaging” is available online.