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What contaminants are you eating?
Seven Common Foods That May Be Harmful
1. Canned Tomatoes
The Culprit: Bisphenol-A (BPA)
The resin lining of cans used for tomato products contains
bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA is a man-made chemical that is
similar to the female reproductive hormone estrogen. Many
cans have BPA in the lining, but the acidity of tomato
products causes the chemical to leech into the food more
easily, which means greater exposure to BPA for the person
eating the tomatoes.
Health Concern: High blood levels of BPA may increase the risk of the following health issues:
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Reproductive problems
o decreased sperm production and quality
o chromosomal damage to eggs
o early onset of puberty in girls
Prostate and Breast Cancer
Metabolic Disorders
o Insulin Resistance
o Type 2 Diabetes
o Obesity
Heart Disease
Neurobehavioral Effects – ADHD
Conclusion: The FDA feels the evidence on the direct harmful effects of BPA do not outweigh
the benefit of consuming canned vegetables at this time. However, the FDA is
supporting numerous new studies on the topic and creating more controls on BPA
use in industry. Due to the many potential health concerns related to consuming
BPA, using tomatoes from glass bottles or Tetra Pak boxes are a safer alternative.
Purchasing Information:
Glass Jar brands:
• Bionature Organic Strained Tomatoes and Organic Tomato Paste can be found
at Whole Foods, Harvest Coop, Star Market, City Feed and Supply and may
also be purchased online at Amazon.com.
• Helios brand tomatoes can also be purchased online at Amazon.com.
• Pomi can be purchased online at Stop and Shop (Peapod), Shaws, Whole
Foods, Amazon, and www.vitacost.com.
• Trader Joes and Whole Foods also sell Tetra Pak tomato products, including
soups and sauces.
www.dana-farber.org/nutrition
2. Corn-Fed Beef
The Culprit: Proinflammatory nutrient content
The natural diet for cattle includes grasses, vegetative
crops, and legumes that cows eat while grazing in a
pasture. Current methods of beef production confines
cows to pens without access to pastures, so they are fed
corn and other grain-based processed feed.
Health Concern: Eating the plants in pasture provides cows with many
antioxidants and minerals, while grain-fed cattle receive
higher levels of pro-inflammatory nutrients that are stored in the meat we then
consume.
Compared to corn-fed beef, the anti-inflammatory benefits of grass-fed beef
include:
• a lower ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids
• less cholesterol-elevating saturated fatty acids
Compared to corn-fed beef, the antioxidant benefits of grass-fed beef include:
• more beta-carotene, a Vitamin A precursor
• three times higher Vitamin E content
• higher levels of antioxidant enzymes: glutathione, superoxide dismutase,
catalase
Conclusion: Due to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits in grass-fed beef, avoiding
corn-fed beef may help to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Look for beef that is labeled as grass or forage-fed in the market or grocery store.
Purchasing Information: Look for beef labeled as “grass-fed” or “forage-fed”; these are the two
marketing claims defined by the USDA.
• Whole Foods carries grass-fed cuts of beef and pre-made hamburger patties. Look for
the beef labeled “no hormones, no antibiotics, grass-fed.” Watch out for beef that Whole
Foods labels “vegetarian diet”: this means the cows start out grazing on grass for the first
few years of their life, then grain is scattered in their pastures and they can choose what
to eat. Therefore “vegetarian diet” is grass-fed and grain-finished, so this beef is not
recommended.
• Trader Joe’s store brand Butcher Shop, All Natural beef has no hormones, no antibiotics,
and is free-range.
www.dana-farber.org/nutrition
3. Microwave Popcorn
The Culprit: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
The paper and lining of microwave popcorn bags
contain PFOAs. At high heats, like those created in
the microwave, PFOAs can vaporize and spread into
the popcorn. PFOAs can also be inhaled through the
steam given off if the bag of microwave popcorn is
opened shortly after heating.
Health Concern: The class of chemicals that PFOAs belong to have been linked to infertility in
humans. PFOAs cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer in animal studies.
PFOAs are man-made chemicals that will never break down in the environment,
so every PFOA molecule produced will continue to cycle throughout the food
chain and population forever. Therefore, continued long-term health effects may
be seen as a result to PFOA exposure and consumption.
Conclusion: The EPA has been reviewing alternatives to PFOAs for the past decade. Eight
PFOA manufacturing companies have agreed to a voluntary EPA program, the
PFOA 2010/15 Stewardship Program, which is working to eliminate PFOAs from
products by 2015. In the meantime, making popcorn at home in a pan with oil
and flavorings will decrease your exposure to PFOAs.
Purchasing Information: Buy popcorn kernels that have no added ingredients.
• Orville Redenbacher Original popcorn kernels are sold in at Stop and Shop and Shaws.
Shaws also sells Orville Redenbacher White popcorn kernels.
• Kernel Season’s All Natural Popping Corn is sold at Shaws also.
• Organic Yellow Popcorn sold in bulk, in a bin that you can scoop into a bag, is available
at Whole Foods.
If you’re interested in buying a popcorn popper, here are some suggestions:
• Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Hot Air Popper by Presto can be found at Bed Bath and
Beyond. It requires no oil and just pops the kernels with heat alone.
• Whirley Pop stovetop popcorn popper can be found at Ace Hardware stores or online at
Amazon.com.
• Nostalgia Retro Series Kettle Popcorn Maker is widely available at Walmart, Meijer,
Home Depot, Amazon.com, and Overstock.com.
• You may also use a pan on the stove: Use 3 tablespoons of canola oil for every half-cup
of popcorn kernels, stirring to prevent burning.
www.dana-farber.org/nutrition
4. Non-Organic Potatoes
The Culprit: Herbicides, pesticides, fungicides
Potatoes are one of the most heavily sprayed produce
products in the U.S. food supply. According to the
USDA, over 85% of potatoes tested contained
measurable levels of pesticides.
Health Concern: Potatoes are root vegetables, which means they are the part of the plant the
soaks up the water and nutrients from the soil. Unfortunately, root vegetables
also absorb pesticide residues from the soil. Because the chemicals have been
absorbed into the flesh of the potato, washing potatoes does not remove the
pesticide residues. The USDA Pesticide Data Program found 17 pesticide residues
in potatoes:
• 5 were known or probable carcinogens
• 7 were suspected hormone disruptors
• 5 were neurotoxins
• 3 were developmental or reproductive toxicants
Conclusion: Although potatoes are not one of the top 10 most contaminated
fruits and vegetables, pesticide levels in them are concerning
because so many people eat potatoes in the United States. If
you eat potatoes regularly, buy organic varieties. Look for the
USDA Organic seal at right on packaged potato products to
ensure the quality of the product.
Purchasing Information: At your local grocery store, there may be an organic produce section. If
there is, double-check to make sure the potatoes in that area are also labeled as organic. For
example, at Trader Joes, items in the produce section have a green sign if they are organic and a
red sign if they are not organic.
• Trader Joes carries bags of organic potatoes in 4-lb. golden, 5-lb. red, and 5-lb. russet
varieties.
• Whole Foods sells 5-lb. bags of organic russet potatoes. Whole Foods uses red signs for
organic produce and purple signs for conventional or non-organic produce.
• Shaws sells 4-lb. bags of organic red and golden potatoes and 5-lb. bags of russet
potatoes.
• Star Market carries 5-lb. bags of organic russet potatoes by their organic brand, Wild
Harvest.
www.dana-farber.org/nutrition
5. Farmed Salmon
The Culprit: Decreased nutrient content, increased contaminant content
Salmon are carnivorous fish that naturally feed on krill
and shrimp, which give the meat the characteristic
orange color. Wild salmon travel long distances for
feeding and spawning, which makes them leaner.
Health Concern: Farmed salmon have excessively high fat content with more omega-6 than
omega-3 fatty acids, making the fat less beneficial and more pro-inflammatory.
Wild salmon carry a higher protein content than farmed varieties. Antibiotics and
pesticides are used on farmed salmon, so people eat these chemical toxins when
they consume this type of fish.
Conclusion: Buy wild-caught Alaskan salmon. All Atlantic salmon are farmed; there are no
commercial fisheries left for wild Atlantic salmon. Wild, Alaskan salmon is in
season beginning in mid May, but flash-frozen varieties are just as nutritious.
Most canned salmon is also wild and Alaskan caught, so that is another option.
Purchasing Information: Many grocery stores are now selling fish pre-seasoned for decreased
cooking preparation time. As long as the package says wild-caught Alaskan
salmon, you will be purchasing a healthy option.
• Shaws sells wild Alaskan salmon in season.
• Stop and Shop carries wild-caught Alaskan sockeye salmon online, but not all stores have
it in stock. Their wild, Alaskan salmon is also sold pre-seasoned for decreased cooking
preparation time.
• Trader Joes carries fresh Alaskan sockeye, frozen wild Alaskan salmon, and canned
Trader Joe’s brand pink Alaskan salmon and wild-caught red salmon.
• Whole Foods carries a packaged, frozen product by Henry and Lisa’s, Wild Alaskan
Salmon with Ginger Marinade. Whole Foods also sells many brands of canned wild
salmon, including: 365, Rubinteins, Natural Sea, Henry and Lisa’s, and Crown Prince.
www.dana-farber.org/nutrition
6. Milk produced with Artificial Hormones
The Culprit: rBGH or rBST
Recombinant bovine growth hormone, rBGH, (or
recombinant bovine somatotropin, rBST) has been given
to cattle for decades to decrease the time to maturity and
increase the milk production of dairy cattle. This rapid
growth often leads to more infections and a higher insulinlike growth factor (IGF-1) level in the milk.
Health Concern: Higher levels of IGF-1 are observed in breast, prostate, and colon cancer.
Concern that these higher levels resulted from milk consumption were based on
population trends, although there have been no good studies showing a direct
relationship between drinking milk with rBGH and greater IGF-1 levels.
Drinking milk, in general, increases IGF-1 activity in the body slightly, but no
significant difference has been seen from milk treated with rBGH and rBGH-free
milk. Studies suggest that obesity, specifically abdominal fat, and physical
inactivity raise IGF-1 levels and therefore contribute more to cancer risk than
dairy consumption.
Conclusion; If you are concerned about potential exposures, choose organic milk. Organic milk
had lower concentrations of IGF-1 than milk with and without rBGH, as well as a
slightly higher protein content than conventional milk, in a recent, nation-wide
survey.
Purchasing Information: Labeling for rBGH is not unified yet, so look for a sign on the package
saying the milk is rBGH-free or rBST-free. This sign may look different on
different dairy products. The label often has a circle that says “Our Farmers
Pledge: Not to Use Artificial Growth Hormones” or “Our Farmers Pledge No
Artificial Growth Hormones.”
• Trader Joes has store-brand organic milk and non-organic store brand milk with an rBSTfree pledge.
• Stop and Shop carries many rBGH-free milk options. Their organic varieties are
packaged as half gallons and include: Stoneyfield Farms, Nature’s Promise, The Organic
Cow. Their non-organic brands include: Garelick, Hood, and Stop and Shop milk.
• Shaws and Star Market sell the same rBGH-free milk brands: Shaws, Garelick, and
Hood.
• Whole Foods also has multiple brands that are rBGH-free, including: 365, 365 Organic,
Organic Valley, and Garelick.
www.dana-farber.org/nutrition
7. Conventional Apples
The Culprit: Pesticides
The texture and flavor differences between apple varieties
are maintained by careful grafting. Apples are selected
for appealing traits, not for their pest resistance. As a
result, apples are sprayed with pesticides frequently so
farmers can keep as many good apples as possible for
sale.
Health Concern: Washing an apple and removing the peel prior to eating will help to reduce the
amount of pesticide consumed. However, many of the apple’s nutrients and
disease-fighting compounds are found in the skin, so removing it decreases the
nutritional value of the apple. Apples are the second-most pesticide-contaminated
fruit or vegetable. According to the USDA Pesticide Data Program, over 85% of
apples contain pesticide residual on their skin, and 42 pesticide residues were
found on apples:
• 5 were known or probably known carcinogens
• 19 were suspected hormone disruptors
• 10 were neurotoxins
• 5 were developmental or reproductive toxicants
Conclusion: Buy organic apples whenever possible or, at the very least, wash and peel apples
prior to eating them.
Purchasing Information: Similar to purchasing organic potatoes, some stores have a separate
section for organic produce, but always check to make sure the label also specifies
that the apples were grown organically.
• Stop and Shop carries 3-lb. bags of organic apples under their organic brand, Nature’s
Promise. Organic varieties change throughout the year.
• Trader Joes sells organic apples in 2-lb. bags by the pound. The green label signifies
organic. There are sometimes individually sold organic apples available as well.
• Whole Foods carries organic apples in many varieties that can be purchased individually.
Check the label: as with potatoes, organic apples will have a red sign and
conventionally-grown apples will have a purple sign.
• Shaws and Star Market carry 2.5-lb. bags of organic Washington Brand apples.
Individually sold organic apples were also available at both stores. Organic produce may
be separated into the store’s Wild Harvest section.
Abbreviations of Federal Agencies and Programs
FDA – United States Food and Drug Administration
NIH – National Institutes of Health
USDA – United States Department of Agriculture
EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
NTP – National Toxicology Program
EWG – Environmental Working Group (non-profit)