No More Tuna, No More Chili: There's Plastic in Aluminum Cans!

It's sad news, but it's true. There's a plastic liner inside aluminum cans, which means that some of my favorite things like canned soda, canned tuna, and canned tomatoes are things I no longer really want to buy. And I have many, many cans of stuff already in my pantry (see pic). I'll still eat what I already have, but I'm going to feel crappy about it. Crappy.

Tuna Fish Sandwiches (as made from canned tuna)
I love tuna fish sandwiches. They're tasty-delicious, and so convenient. All you have to do is open up a cute little can, add some mayo or sweet relish, and BLAM you have a sandwich. How will I get around the fact that I no longer want to buy canned tuna? I have no ideas yet.

Chili (as made from canned tomatoes)
Another favorite food of mine is chili, which I love to make in the fall and winter from canned tomatoes. It might be intuitive, but I'll explain that I use canned tomatoes because they're so much cheaper, especially since I'm making chili when tomatoes are out of season. So what can I do? My only idea right now is the Polish grocery store by my house. They have lots of veggies in jars so I'm hoping they have tomatoes. Otherwise, what will I do?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Buy fish. A couple of summers ago I went salmon fishing and caught a lot. I had is frozen and the packages were several servings big, so I started just going ahead and baking or broiling the whole shebang and then finding good uses for leftovers. Salmon salad (exactly as one would make tuna salad) was a favorite.

So go get a couple of nice tuna steaks and an extra one too. Prepare your favorite way and then use the leftovers to make tuna salad.

(BTW-- this is where the idea for tuna salad comes from: "what do I do with this extra fish?")
Jeanne said…
Definitely a good idea! Thanks so much for your comment.

If I wrap the leftover tuna in foil and freeze it, do you think that will be good enough to keep the freezer taste out? Any idea on how long it will keep in the freezer like that?
Anonymous said…
If the foil is TIGHT so as to keep air out, it should be fine. I find that after 3-6 months, flavor is adversely impacted. However, edibility is generally not. Then it's time to shred your stale leftovers and re-invent thim in a casserole or something!
Banba said…
You are so awesome!I won't buy anything in cans either. These two tips might interest you: You can buy broth in a waxy pour out package. I usually find it in the health food section. Also you can make tomato sauce out of real tomatoes, olive oil and fresh basil in the food processor. I read that tomatoes in a can actually absorb some of the metal which is not good. I had no idea there was plastic in cans!
Anonymous said…
Unbelievabe what we've been feeding our kids. Plastic, soy, etc. There's so muchinfo on both. Plastics have been linked to breast cancer. Look it up yourself. Best thing to do is grow yor own tomatoes from nongenetically modified tomatoe eeds(at a organic seed co). tomatoes are easy to grow. can grow in a bucket indoors. Start your seedlings in and put them outside. Thats what our family is doing this year, along with other organic seeds. will sell some plants at a yard sale. Have some fun.
Anonymous said…
tuna in aluminum cans is a new one to me. the cans in your photo appear to be "tin" cans (steel coated with tin). are your tuna cans really aluminum? a magnet will stick to steel/tin cans but not to aluminum. not a big deal but knowing what your packaging is really made of is a good first step toward responsible consuming. both aluminum and steel are readily recyclable, though at a high energy cost. the comment about buying broth in waxy containers is noteworthy, since those containers generally do not recycle.
Anonymous said…
Does this count as plastic:

http://www.shopbluehouse.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2599&HS=1

It's on your site, and they call is "plastic", but maybe they shouldn't? Might be worth some more research.

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