Tinned & Canned Food

Tinned and canned food is safe to eat during pregnancy and can be a convenient, nutritious part of a pregnancy diet. The canning process involves heating the contents at high temperatures to sterilise them, which kills bacteria, viruses, and parasites — tinned food is effectively pre-cooked food and is safe without further preparation in most cases. Tinned tomatoes, tinned fish, tinned legumes (chickpeas, lentils, beans), tinned vegetables, and tinned fruit are all safe and retain much of their nutritional value. In many cases, tinned alternatives are just as nutritious as fresh — tinned tomatoes, for example, are often higher in lycopene (an antioxidant) than fresh tomatoes. The concern sometimes raised about tinned food relates to BPA (bisphenol A), a chemical previously used in the lining of some tin cans that can leach into food and has been associated with hormonal disruption. Most major UK and European manufacturers have moved away from BPA-containing liners, and the Food Standards Agency considers residual BPA in food from cans to be within safe levels. If you want to further reduce exposure, look for tins labelled 'BPA-free' or choose jarred alternatives (glass does not contain BPA). Tinned food is often higher in sodium than fresh equivalents — rinsing tinned beans, vegetables, and fish before eating reduces the salt content significantly.