Wholefoods industry praised for BPA-free pulses

A new body of research by Ethical Consumer which encourages public consumption of pulses has issued a warning over the health hazards of BPA – a chemical compound commonly used to make the protective lining of food containers – while praising a handful of ethical vegetarian and vegan brands for offering BPA-free alternatives.  

In Not just a load of old lentils, the consumer organization refers to the purchase of tinned goods as ‘a buyer beware situation’ and says Bisphenol A should be eschewed due to its impacts on a range of conditions including asthma, obesity, some types of cancer and fertility in both men and women.  

The report, which doubles as a shopping guide, recommends that health-conscious consumers seek dried legumes to cook at home; minimally-processed, pre-cooked products in glass packaging; tins marked ‘BPA-free’; or use the trusted Soil Association mark for guidance.

Assessed by combining scores across six categories – climate, animal products, workers, tax conduct, company ethos and agriculture – each brand is awarded an ‘Ethiscore’ out of 100, determining which labels are ‘Recommended’ and which are classes as ‘Brands to avoid’. 

Filling the top half of the leaderboard and ranked as ‘Best Buys’ are Mr Organic (93), Essential (83), Hodmedod’s (83), Clearspring (82), Suma (82), Infinity Foods (80), the Bold Bean Co (73) and Organic Kitchen (73). Biona achieved a lower score of 53 but earned a ‘Recommended’ stamp of approval on account of its organic certification and glass jars. While none of the broad spectrum of brands were graded as ‘poor’, Indus and KTC were noted as ‘Brands to avoid’ due to both companies scoring zero in the workers and agriculture categories  – both ‘quite central to a food company’, according to Ethical Consumer.

Chickpeas vs chicken

The report also serves up nutritional comparisons between organic chicken and organic chickpeas; while chickpeas showed lower protein content, they were also found to contain more fibre, less saturated fat, calories and salt, and to hit a significantly cheaper price point per 200g serving.

Along with organic certification and the presence of BPA, other considerations the report encourages consumers to keep in mind when shopping are whether a company is vegan and whether pulses are grown in the UK – where leading British sustainability-focused bean supplier Hodmedod’s actively promotes lesser-known indigenous crops and peas such as fava beans and carlin peas, as well as producing British-grown quinoa.    

“Beans and pulses are affordable and low carbon alternatives to meat and meat-free substitutes, as well as being minimally processed. However, consumers need to be aware of some brands of tinned beans which might contain a chemical that is likely to be banned within a couple of years,” comments Jane Turner, report writer and researcher, referring to a ban proposed by the European Commission in June 2024.

By Rosie Greenaway, editor