German investigation finds widespread Bisphenol contamination in everyday canned foods

A newly released study by the German consumer publication ÖKO-TEST has revealed elevated levels of chemical contaminants across a wide array of popular canned goods and soft drinks. In its September 2026 report, the magazine detailed laboratory testing on 52 separate food items—ranging from legumes, ravioli, and vegetables to canned fish and carbonated beverages. The findings showed that 42 of the tested products contained "high" or "very high" levels of bisphenol contamination. In several instances, Bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations exceeded the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) thresholds by more than 100 times.

The discovery coincides with ongoing European legislative shifts aimed at phasing out bisphenols in food packaging. Under EU Regulation 2024/3190, which came into force in early 2025, the intentional inclusion of BPA in beverage can linings became illegal for new market entries on July 20, 2026. However, broad transitional allowances remain active. Existing stock may still be sold, while primary compliance deadlines for preserved fruits, vegetables, and seafood extend until January 2028. Furthermore, European rules specifically target the intentional formulation of food-contact layers rather than setting hard maximum limits within the food products themselves.

The investigation also highlighted a cross-contamination phenomenon (a sort of "imprint effect”). Even when manufacturers switch to BPA-free internal liners, older epoxy formulations are frequently still applied to the exterior of the cans. When empty containers are stacked during transport and manufacturing, exterior coatings touch the interior surfaces of adjacent cans, transferring residual chemicals onto the food-contact layer. Outer-shell bans are not set to take full effect until future regulatory phases arrive.

BPA is a recognized Category 1B reproductive toxin and endocrine disruptor. Research links exposure to developmental abnormalities in brain tissue, disruptions to puberty and menstrual cycles, and alterations in breast tissue. In 2023, EFSA drastically reduced its recommended safe intake limit by 20,000-fold following emerging evidence of potential immune system toxicity at trace levels.

The study further emphasized that industrial alternatives pose their own risks. Over half of the analyzed samples contained significant levels of Bisphenol S (BPS) or Bisphenol F (BPF)—compounds increasingly adopted to replace traditional BPA. While official European daily intake limits have not yet been formalized for these substitutes, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) warns that BPS and BPF likely exhibit health risks and biological mechanisms comparable to the original compound.

Source:

Oekotest