Will Cooking Food in Cans Hurt You?

There are canned products available now that people can heat up in a microwave or in a pot of water on the stove, and eat the food right out of the can. Some people even put unopened cans in a pressure cooker and cook them, then open the cans and eat. It is said that cooking food in its original cans even makes the food taste better. But is it possible for metals or chemicals to leach into the food as it is cooking?

Can makers recommend that cans not be used for anything other than storing food until it is opened to be eaten. According to Scott McCarty of Ball Corporation, a leading food and beverage packaging maker in the United States, "Cans are reliable, recyclable, durable packages that keep beverages and foods fresh and allow them to be transported safely for thousands of miles, even into remote regions - but they were not made to be used as cooking containers."

However, many people who cook food in the cans say that because canned goods are often heated up inside their cans during the canning process, to kill bacteria, then heating the food in the cans at home couldn't possibly do any harm. McCarty admits that although some canned food is heated during the packaging at the factory, that isn't the case for all foods. Also, that heating is done in a carefully controlled and monitored environment, where the process is monitored and specifically designed for heating canned food.

If you are concerned about metals that may be leaching into canned food as you heat it, you may have a good reason for concern. In the United States, most canned food is put into steel cans, while beverage cans are most often made out from aluminum. Although nickel and chromium may be able to leach out of steel cans, the amounts would be insignificant. But a more troubling fact is that aluminum could, in theory, leach out of cans to contaminate the drink or food contents. Large concentrations of aluminum have been linked to health problems and nervous system disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease.

To prevent the leaching of contaminants into food, most cans today are coated on the inside with food-grade epoxy, to protect the food and keep the can from corroding. But such liners have been proven to contain harmful chemicals such as Bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA is a synthetic plastic hardener, and it has been linked to problems with human reproduction, as well as an increased risk of diabetes and cancer. And when the Consumers Union analyzed common canned foods last year, they found measurable BPA levels in a wide range of food items, even some that had a label claiming that they were "BPA Free."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is in the process of reviewing whether or not BPA should come into contact with food items anywhere. But some companies aren't going to wait around for the FDA to rule on the subject. Eden Foods, a company known for producing wholesome foods, worked with the Ball Corporation in 1999 to change their procedures. They switched their traditional liners made with epoxy for a baked-on enamel lining free of BPA, made using resins and plant oils. This new technology was actually accidentally developed. Eden came upon it when they asked Ball what the company used to use before the epoxy can liners became the standard thirty years ago.

Although custom-made can liners are more expensive than the industry-standard liners containing BPA, Eden says that it's worth the extra expense when it comes to keeping consumers healthy. Michael Potter, president of Eden Foods, says it was the right thing to do. "I didn't want BPA in food I was serving to my ides, my grandkids, or my customers."