Campbell Soup Company is transitioning to the use of cans that do not incorporate Bisphenol A (BPA) linings by the middle of 2017. The company says it began shipping cans with linings made from "acrylic or polyester materials" in March 2016 and will continue to introduce the new cans across its U.S. and Canadian portfolio through 2017.

BPA is an industrial chemical that is found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins used in the manufacture of a range of food and beverage containers. Some research has suggested that BPA can seep into food or beverages from containers that are made with BPA, potentially exposing product users to negative health effects from ingestion of the chemical.

Campbell will introduce new linings on the cans of all 600 of its recipes. Image credit: Campbell Soup Company.Campbell first announced its intention to move away from BPA linings in February 2012 in response to consumer feedback. Since then, Campbell says it has tested hundreds of alternatives that it could use on the almost two billion cans it sells annually.

According to the company, the transition has faced a number of technical and logistical challenges, among them identifying linings that would ensure the safety of more than 600 different recipes, including tomato-based products, "which are naturally acidic and can react with some linings over time," the company says. Campbell says the acrylic and polyester linings it will use—which like the BPA linings are designed to keep food from contacting the can itself and imparting a tinny taste—have been subjected to extensive testing, approved for use by regulators around the world and offer a viable, cost-effective alternative.

The products that will be packaged in non-BPA-lined cans include all varieties of Campbell’s soups and gravies, Swanson broth, and SpaghettiOs pasta. The company says it is on track to have 75% of its soup portfolio in non-BPA-lined cans by December 2016.

Campbell is also currently testing alternatives to BPA coatings used on other packaging, including aluminum cans used for V8 beverages and metal screw-top lids on glass jars. The company plans to transition these products to non-BPA packaging by the middle of 2017.