Evils of Canned Processed Food

healthy appetite

By Shean Bedi

There used to be a time that my grocery shopping list would consist hundreds of pesos worth of canned good. From corned beef to sardines to beans to tuna, you can bet your pay slip that you will find it in my pantry. But now that I enjoy healthy meals prepared by my wife, I have mostly confined canned goods to camping trips and emergencies. Here’s why.

Canned goods can cause botulism. Though extremely rare, canned goods may contain Clostridium botulinum bacteria which can cause botulism poisoning. This can lead to serious illness or death. In the US, several companies already issued recall of their canned products due to possible contamination. These include Castleberry’s Food Company, Big Y, and New Era Camping Company. I am not saying this to scare you. I am just stating a fact that canned goods are not completely safe for us.

Canned goods may be linked to cancer – The internal coating of cans contain a chemical called Bisphenol A (BPA), which has been implicated in human cancers and developmental disorders. The fear is that the chemical would migrate from the coating to the food. However, several health organizations already proclaimed that the risk is negligible in adult consumers and minimal in children. However, with lower quality canned products flooding the market today, there is reason to be more cautious.

Like I said above, I do not mean to scare you. I am merely informing you of the risks associated with consuming canned processed foods high in sodium & preservatives. I’ll the first one to admit that I enjoy eating canned tuna every once in a while. What I am trying to say is I don’t live on canned goods anymore and I don’t think that anyone should. The world we be much healthier place if we all enjoy home cooked food.