Campbell's says their cans will be BPA free by 2017... gee I thought they already were.

In 2012 Campbell's promised to eliminate BPA from its can linings.  I didn't realize it would take five+ years.  I guess the linings other companies are using in Europe weren't good enough for them.

They say the new linings which use acrylic or polyester linings will be safer.  I'm not sure that I believe that.  Why would one petroleum based product be better than another?  In fact, they could be worse, but we don't know it yet.

Truthfully I took Michael Pollan's advice back in 2007 and eliminated all processed foods from my diet.  And I won't be going back.

But my bigger question is whether it makes sense for companies to even release information that involves making their products healthier and safer.  Are they just drawing attention to a problem that most consumers were unaware of?  There seems to be a spate of announcements like this coming out lately.  And, they all make me wonder what they aren't telling me.

So perhaps the best approach is the one that Kraft recently took with their Mac & Cheese.  They reformulated the product to replace artificial dyes, waited several months, sold 50 million boxes, and then shared the news. 

Here's the commercial...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-kul627Y3g

Very interesting.  And I think it will be far more effective then telling me what's wrong with your product and then waiting 5 years to fix it.  What do you think?

Lukovitz, K. (2016, March 29)  Campbell Says Its Packages Will Be BPA-Free By Mid-2017.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved April 8, 2016, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/272300/campbell-says-its-packages-will-be-bpa-free-by-mid.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=91617

Kell, J. (2016, March 7)  Kraft Mac & Cheese Changed Its Recipe And Nobody Got Mad.  fortune.com.  Retrieved April 8, 2016, from

http://fortune.com/2016/03/07/kraft-mac-cheese-changed/

I think Spice Islands may be on to something.

The spice manufacturer is returning to television for the holiday season with a message about their high quality standards, which includes distributing their products in glass bottles.  (Lukovitz, 2013)

If ever there was a campaign targeted to an educated audience this is it.  I cringed last month when I read about the FDA report which said that 12% of US spice imports are contaminated with bug parts, rodent hairs, and most disconcertedly salmonella.  (Christensen, 2013)

And, I switched to glass and threw out all my plastic in 2008, when the studies about the harmful effects of BPA’s in plastic were released. (Parker-Pope, 2008)

While I reminded myself when I read the report about the spices that I usually consume only fresh herbs and spices from local organic farmer markets and my own roof garden, I did take a moment to consider what I would do if I couldn’t find a particular spice through those sources, and had no easy answer.  Well now I do.  And just in time for my holiday turkey.  Sounds like a winning strategy to me.   

Lukovitz, K. (2013, November 19) Spice Islands Returns To TV Advertising.  mediapost.com. Retrieved November 22, 2013, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/213772/spice-islands-returns-to-tv-advertising.html?edition=67075

Christensen, J. (2013, October 31) What’s in your spices?  Bug parts and rat hair.  cnn.com.  Retrieved November 22, 2013, from http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/31/health/bugs-in-spices/

Parker-Pope, T. (2008, April 22) A Hard Plastic Is Raising Hard Questions.  nytimes.com. Retrieved November 22, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/health/22well.html?_r=0