There is no single, universal way to tell whether a can is BPA-free just by looking at it. Some brands print “BPA-free” directly on the label, but most canned foods carry no indication at all about their lining chemistry. Your best options are checking the label, contacting the manufacturer, or choosing brands that publicly disclose their packaging materials.
Check the Label First
The most straightforward method is looking for a “BPA-free” label on the can itself. This typically appears as simple text reading “BPA-Free,” sometimes paired with a small leaf icon or a circle with a diagonal line through “BPA.” You’ll usually find it near the barcode, ingredient list, or on the lid. Not all BPA-free cans carry this label, though. Many manufacturers have quietly switched to alternative linings without advertising the change on every product.
If the can doesn’t say anything about BPA, that doesn’t necessarily mean it contains BPA. It just means you can’t tell from the packaging alone.
Why You Can’t Rely on Visual Clues
A common suggestion online is to look at the color of the can’s interior lining. White or clear linings are sometimes associated with newer, BPA-free coatings, while gold or yellowish linings supposedly indicate traditional BPA-based epoxy. In practice, this is unreliable. Different BPA-free alternatives come in various colors, and some BPA-containing linings can appear white. Lining color depends on the specific resin, the food inside, and the manufacturer’s process, so it’s not a dependable indicator.
Contact the Manufacturer Directly
The most reliable way to confirm a can’s lining is to ask the company. Most brands list a customer service phone number or website on the label. When you call or email, ask specifically whether the product uses BPA-based epoxy resin in its can lining. Some companies are transparent about this; others may not know or may give vague answers. Brands that have invested in BPA-free packaging tend to be proud of it and will tell you clearly.
Several organizations, including the Environmental Working Group, have published searchable databases and brand surveys that track which companies use BPA-free cans. These can save you time if you’re trying to evaluate multiple brands at once.
The Recycling Code Shortcut (for Plastic, Not Cans)
If you’re looking at plastic containers rather than metal cans, recycling codes offer a partial clue. Plastics marked with a number 7 inside the recycling triangle fall into a catch-all “other” category that includes polycarbonate, a plastic made with BPA. Not all number 7 plastics contain BPA (bio-based plastics also land here), but it’s the code most likely to signal its presence. Plastics labeled 1, 2, 4, or 5 are generally considered BPA-free.
Metal cans don’t carry resin identification codes, so this method doesn’t apply to the canned goods in your pantry.
How Much of the Market Has Shifted
The transition away from BPA in canned food has been gradual and uneven. A survey by the Environmental Working Group that covered 252 brands found that only 12 percent used BPA-free cans across all their products, while another 14 percent had switched for at least some items. Meanwhile, 31 percent still used BPA-lined cans for everything. Nearly half of brands in the survey didn’t disclose whether they were working on alternatives at all.
That survey dates to 2014, and the industry has continued moving away from BPA since then, but there’s no comprehensive, up-to-date public audit of every brand on shelves today. The FDA removed its authorization for BPA in baby bottles, sippy cups, and infant formula packaging in 2012 and 2013, though those changes reflected that manufacturers had already abandoned those uses on their own rather than a safety-based ban. For all other food cans, BPA remains legal. The FDA’s position is that BPA is safe at the levels currently found in food.
What Replaces BPA in Cans
When a can is labeled BPA-free, its interior is coated with one of several alternative materials: acrylic resins, polyester, non-BPA epoxies, PVC copolymers, or olefin polymers (some partially derived from plants). Each comes with its own set of questions. PVC-based linings involve vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen. Many acrylic linings incorporate polystyrene, classified as a possible human carcinogen. Even the newest plant-based olefin linings haven’t been fully studied for safety, partly because their exact formulations are proprietary.
“BPA-free” tells you what isn’t in the lining, not what is.
BPA Substitutes May Not Be Safer
Some manufacturers have replaced BPA with chemically similar compounds, particularly bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF). A 2015 review published in Environmental Health Perspectives evaluated the hormonal activity of both substitutes and found that BPS and BPF are hormonally active at roughly the same potency as BPA. Both showed effects on reproductive endpoints, organ weights, and enzyme activity in laboratory studies. BPF appears to be metabolized and distributed in the body similarly to BPA. The researchers concluded that these substitutes may pose similar potential health hazards.
This means a “BPA-free” label doesn’t guarantee the replacement is biologically inert. If avoiding hormone-disrupting chemicals is your goal, you’d need to find out specifically which alternative a manufacturer uses, and that information is often difficult to get.
Practical Ways to Reduce Exposure
If minimizing your exposure matters to you, a few strategies go beyond label reading:
- Choose glass, cartons, or frozen foods. These formats avoid metal can linings entirely.
- Look for brands that name their lining type. Companies that disclose they use polyester or oleoresin linings (rather than just saying “BPA-free”) are giving you more useful information.
- Buy dried beans and cook from scratch. This sidesteps the canned goods question for one of the most commonly canned food categories.
- Prioritize fresh or frozen produce. Canned fruits and vegetables in BPA-lined cans are one of the most common sources of dietary BPA exposure.
No single approach eliminates all chemical exposure from food packaging, but shifting even a portion of your diet away from canned goods reduces contact with whatever lining happens to be inside.