CR examined widespread quick meals and grocery store staples for bisphenols and phthalates, which will be dangerous to your well being. Right here’s what we discovered—and keep safer.

By the point you open a container of yogurt, the meals has taken a protracted journey to succeed in your spoon. You might have some thought of that journey: From cow to processing to packaging to retailer cabinets. However at each step, there’s a likelihood for a bit one thing additional to sneak in, a stowaway of types that shouldn’t be there.

That surprising ingredient is one thing referred to as a plasticizer: a chemical used to make plastic extra versatile and sturdy. Right now, plasticizers—the commonest of that are referred to as phthalates—show up inside almost all of us, proper together with different chemical compounds present in plastic, together with bisphenols reminiscent of BPA. These have been linked to a long list of health concerns, even at very low ranges.

Shopper Stories has investigated bisphenols and phthalates in meals and meals packaging a couple of instances over the previous 25 years. In our new assessments, we checked a greater diversity of meals to see how a lot of the chemical compounds People truly devour. The reply? Quite a bit. Our assessments of practically 100 meals discovered that regardless of rising proof of potential well being threats, bisphenols and phthalates stay widespread in our meals.