Canned response not enough for worried consumers

Fans of General Mills-owned Progresso soup are calling for the company to remove the chemical BPA from its cans; Progresso has offered a few scripted responses.

Ragan Insider Premium Content
Ragan Insider Content

Progresso, the General Mills-owned soup brand, has finally responded to a growing chorus of customer calls for the company to end its use of bisphenol A (BPA) in its cans. The company responded, that is, if you consider copying and pasting a canned (no pun intended) statement is a response.

I learned about the issue when Paul Gillin called my attention to it as a possible story for this week’s For Immediate Release (FIR), the podcast I co-host. Paul notes that the trouble started with a Nov. 22, 2011 NPR report that said eating soups from cans with BPA can “dramatically increase exposure to the chemical.” NPR cited a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

To read the full story, log in.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today

Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.