You know how they say “never say never”?

Well I’m saying it and I mean it: tomatoes should never come from a can.

Most cans are lined with plastic to prevent them from rusting. Most of these linings contain BPA, a toxic chemical linked to reproductive abnormalities, neurological effects, heightened risk of breast and prostate cancers, diabetes, heart disease and other serious health problems. According to Consumer Reports’ testing, just a couple of servings of canned food can exceed the safety limits for daily BPA exposure for children.

The high acidity of a tomatoes causes the BPA to readily leach into your food.

If you won’t take it from me, take it from the specialist.

According to Fredrick Vom Saal, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies BPA,

You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that’s a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young. I won’t go near canned tomatoes.

There are no exceptions. Nope, not BPA-free cans.

Because if you didn’t know, BPA-free is a load of B(P)S (literally). That is, BPA-free products often contain BPA’s chemical cousin BPS, which is as similar to BPA chemically as it is in name. In other words, the health risks are also similar.

Go glass or go fresh! But whatever you do, put the can down and back away slowly…