Heinz has vowed to further reduce its use of a chemical at the centre of a canned soup health scare.

Researchers found consumers who ate canned soup showed a sharp increase in exposure to Bisphenol-A, a chemical linked to health issues including heart disease. The compound, commonly known as BPA, is used in some plastics and the coatings on the inside of food cans that stop metal getting into the food.

BPA has been the subject of health alerts in the past. In March the EU outlawed the manufacture of plastic baby bottles containing the substance – although current FSA advice is that exposure to BPA from food contact materials does not represent a risk to consumers, including infants.

Nonetheless, Heinz said it had been looking for alternatives to BPA, and remained committed to moving away from its use. It does not use BPA in its babyfood packaging or in the plastic for its Beanz Snap Pots and Fridge Pack.

“For beans, pasta and many soups a protective coating is only applied to the can ends that would not leave any trace of BPA or would only be found at the limit of detection,” said Heinz, which added that it continued to research alternative coatings. 

Topics