SIGG Bottle Liners Show Traces of BPA

Last week we received a letter from Steve Wasik, CEO of SIGG Switzerland admitting our worst fear – trace amounts of BPA were found in the liner used for all of their aluminum water bottles manufactured before August 2008.

FROM STEVE WASIK
“Prior to its transition [in August 2008], SIGG utilized a water-based epoxy liner which contained a trace amount of BPA. The bottles were thoroughly and regularly tested in both the USA and Switzerland and all tests revealed absolutely no migration or leaching of BPA or any other substance from the protective inner liner. These tests have been public information on the SIGG website for several years and remain there today.

Despite the fact that these bottles were manufactured well within strict international regulations and posed no health risk, my team and I initiated a project in June 2006 to develop a new liner which would be both BPA free and produced in a more environmentally friendly manner. We recognized early that there were questions surrounding BPA and we wanted to be sure that we had a bottle liner that you, our customers, could have absolute confidence in.

 After two years of comprehensive testing and development and a one million dollar investment in new equipment for our Swiss factory, SIGG began producing bottles with our new, next generation “EcoCare” liner in August 2008. Providing the same quality and protection afforded by the previous liner, this new powder-based, co-polyester coating has been thoroughly tested and is certified to be 100% free of BPA, phthalates, BADGE, BFDGE, and NOGE. It is also environmentally friendly as its application generates virtually no waste and utilizes no organic solvents or VOCs. Our new bottle liner is not only a technological advance; it’s a major step forward in SIGG’s journey towards sustainability.

To be clear, all SIGG bottles made since August 2008 contain our new BPA free EcoCare liner. SIGG bottles manufactured prior to August 2008 have the former water-based epoxy liner which contains trace amounts of BPA. These bottles have been thoroughly tested and showed 0% leaching of BPA. It is easy to determine which liner you have, as they are of 2 distinctly different colors. Visit www.MySIGG.com/liner to see photos comparing the two.”

If you have any questions, you can email Steve at Steve.Wasik.CEO@sigg.com.

SO, WHAT IS BPA?
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used primarily to make plastics, but also in the synthesis of polyesters, as an antioxidant in some plasticizers, and as a polymerization inhibitor in PVC. It is a key monomer in production of epoxy resins and in the most common form of polycarbonate plastic used to make a variety of common products including baby and water bottles, sports equipment, medical and dental devices, dental fillings and sealants, eyeglass lenses, CDs and DVDs, and household electronics.

Suspected of being hazardous to humans since the 1930s, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that current levels of exposure to BPA are not an immediate health risk. However, the FDA acknowledges that more research is needed. If you’re concerned about potential risk, Mayo Clinic suggests taking these simple steps to reduce your and your family’s exposure to BPA:

• Choose glass or BPA-free plastic baby bottles.
• Use glass, porcelain or stainless steel containers for hot foods and liquids.
• Avoid plastic containers with the No. 7 recycling label — they’re made with BPA.
• Don’t microwave polycarbonate plastic food containers. Use glass containers designed for microwaving.
• Reduce your use of canned foods — many cans are lined with a BPA-containing resin 

Tip: Eden Organic Beans are packaged in BPA-free cans!

OUR SIDE OF THE STORY
When we first considered carrying SIGG bottles years ago, owner Aaron Gottlieb and his staff researched the materials and manufacturing processes of SIGG Switzerland in depth to ensure this exact situation would never happen. Every piece of information we found about SIGG was positive, no sign of even the slightest worry of BPA contamination.

We are very dismayed to find out that we were misinformed, that SIGG itself was aware of possible trace BPAs in their liners and that not even the most thorough research was able to turn up any public information on the issue. This is just another example of how BPAs are hidden in our society – first plastic bottles, now aluminum bottles, what’s next?  

Prior to this information being released, we had already decided as a company to no longer carry SIGG bottles in our stores. This decision was based on inconsistencies in the product and also the lack of transparency of the company (ie. they would not fully disclose what was in their liners). Once our current stock of SIGG bottles run out, we will be carrying a line called Klean Kanteen. We look forward to offering you a safer, quality option for reusable water bottles.

NOTE: This is not a recall of SIGG products. Testing has showed no leaching of BPAs from the liner into your water, however if you would like to return your old (manufactured prior to August 2008) SIGG bottle, you may bring it into either Native Sun location for a new replacement SIGG of the same size.

Whole Foods Boycott is 28,000 Strong on Facebook

Earlier this month, Whole Foods CEO and co-founder John Mackey ran an op-ed piece titled “The Whole Foods Alternative to Obama Healthcare” in the Washington Post. His “anti-Obama” suggestions created a backlash from consumers and was the catalyst for a Boycott Whole Foods Facebook Group which now has over 28,000 members.

The Facebook group says . . .

“John Mackey, CEO and co-founder of Whole Foods wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on August 12, 2009 quoting Margaret Thatcher and suggesting that healthcare is a commodity that only the rich, like him, deserve.

Whole Foods has built its brand with the dollars of deceived progressives. Let them know your money will no longer go to support Whole Foods’ anti-union, anti-health insurance reform, right-wing activities.”

The group asks members to organize a pickett at thier local Whole Foods store, contact Bravo TV to drop Whole Foods as their grocer for the program Top Chef, contact Whole Foods administration and more.

To read more about why they are calling for a boycott and why they believe a boycott will work, visit their blog: http://wholeboycott.com

YOUR OPINION
To boycott or not to boycott, that is the question. We’ve seen a lot of media supporting both sides, but want to know what you think. Do you agree or disagree with John Mackey’s suggestions for health care reform? Did the article effect your overall feelings towards Whole Foods? Does a store owner’s stance on public issues effect your decision to shop at one store or another? Let us know what you think!

**Addendum 8/28/09: While it is not our normal practice to post news about competitors, our intention for this post was to open a discussion about the people behind a company and if, and/or how their personal opinions and views affect your choice to support their business. Thank you so much for all of your great comments so far!

Sierra Nevada Sampling on August 20, 6 – 8pm

For this month’s Healthy Happy Hour, 6- 8PM THIS THURSDAY, we’ve decided to give you a full spectrum taste test of the Sierra Nevada line which we sell for only $6.99/6-pack every day at our Baymeadows store. (That’s $2 under SRP!) Come sample all of the flavors to decide which Sierra you prefer. Not a beer person? We will also have three fine wines for you to sip on while you enjoy delicious, all-natural hors d’ oeuvres prepared fresh by our kitchen staff. Must be 21 or older to drink.  Healthy Happy Hour is held at our Baymeadows location ONLY. Call 260-2791 for directions.

THE BEERS

*from the Sierra Nevada website

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Our most popular beer, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, is a delightful interpretation of a classic style. It has a deep amber color and an exceptionally full-bodied, complex character. Generous quantities of premium Cascade hops give the Pale Ale its fragrant bouquet and spicy flavor.

Sierra Nevada Porter Dark and rich, Sierra Nevada Porter is a delicious, medium-bodied ale with a creamy head. The Porter’s smooth flavor (malty with hints of caramel) comes from a blend of deep-roasted barley malts.

Sierra Nevada Stout Creamy, malty, and full-bodied, the Sierra Nevada Stout is satisfyingly rich. Caramel and Black malts give the Stout its deep, dark color and pronounced roasted flavor.

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Kellerweis is one of the only American Hefeweizens made using the traditional Bavarian style of open fermentation. This difficult and labor-intensive technique adds uncommon depth and flavor complexity. Our hazy-golden hefeweizen is deeply flavorful, refreshing and perfect for a sunny day. To serve, pour two-thirds into a glass, swirl and pour the rest.

Sierra Nevada Summerfest Our Summerfest^® is a refreshing, pilsner-style lager. Its incredible smoothness comes from an extra-long lagering period. Lighter in body than our ales but just as complex in character, Summerfest^® quenches your thirst with big aroma and a tangy hop bite.

Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale Each fall, we like to celebrate our anniversary by releasing a very special beer. This beer is a big, full-flavored ale bursting at the seams with fresh, spicy and aromatic hops.

Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA Sierra Nevada Torpedo Ale is a big American IPA; bold, assertive and full of flavor and aromas highlighting the complex citrus, pine and herbal character of whole-cone American hops.

 A few points about Sierra Nevada as a company:

In the brewing process, they use only non-GMO Barley, Hops, and Yeast with NO corn or fillers. The water used, comes from an aquifer at the base of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges, which is replenished by snow and rain from the foothills. The water is tested and monitored and all waste water leaving the brewery is treated at their own recycling plant before it enters the water system (not a requirement and not cheap, but important to protecting the environment). 

No corners are cut in the brewing process. Where some breweries produce a “wort concentrate” (wort is a product of mashing the malted barley and running hot water through it to extract the sugars, color and flavors) and add water later, Seirra Nevada brews traditionally, adding the hops directly to the wort. 

The fermentation style used is dependant on the style of beer and lagers are cold stored, after fermentation, in tanks to age for up to 8-weeks and develop their flavor. Again this is expensive, and a corner that is usually cut by large breweries.

Ales and lagers are centrifuged and cold-filtered, a gentle process which allows sediment (dead yeast cells) to settle to the bottom. Sierra Nevada does not use fining agents (isinglass, from fish swim bladders, is a common one) to filter so their beers are vegan! 

Beers are naturally carbonated by adding brewers yeast to each bottle, causing a second fermentation in the bottle. The beer will develop the perfect amount of carbonation this way. 

Quality control will test a beer around 200 times before it leaves the brewery, checking the pH, levels of oxygen, taste, color, and bitterness, to name a few.

In 2008, Sierra Nevada finished construction on over 2000 solar panels and 4 250-kilowatt fuel cells to offset their energy output. 

The company recycles anything that they can, and in 2007 diverted over 33,000 tons of waste from the landfill to be recycled and reused!

Spent vegetable oil from the Taproom and restaurant are used to fuel their truck, recently converted to biodiesel! 

Spent brewing materials are donated to local dairy farmers who use the high-protein grains to supplement the cow’s diet.

 They have developed a system to recover heat from the boiling kettle’s steam and reuse it to preheat process water.

 They have developed a process to recover CO2 from the fermentation process to be reused in serving kegged beers!

 They have reduced their water usage by half! Treating the waste water before it leaves, produces methane, which they have developed a system to capture and reuse in fueling boilers!!

 They have receive many awards and recognitions for their efforts to become 100% sustainable.

THE WINES

Kerana Organic Chardonnay (On Sale for $9.99!) This unoaked Chardonnay is delightfully fresh and expressive, with green and yellow highlights, great expression of tropical fruits; bananas, pineapples, mangoes, along with soft butter. In mouth a wine of great volume and balanced acidity, with a long and pleasant after taste. Compliments fish and seafood.

Kerana Organic Merlot Reserve (On Sale for $9.99!) Deep red and violet color, aromas of ripe red and black berries, mixed with light notes of smoke by its aging in French Oak barriques. In mouth, rich noble tannins, well balance with a long and pleasant finish.

Mario Torelli Organic Moscato D’Asti It’s pure pleasure with the special sweetness of Moscato grapes and exotic almond, peach and fruity aromas. It makes a superb apertif or light dessert wine. It also pairs well with ripe blue cheese, seafood dishes or spicy asian recipes.

See you on Thursday!

Tips to Help You Eat Healthy & Save Money

Eating organic and all-natural doesn’t have to be expensive. Approach it just like shopping for appliances, clothing or even a car – do your research ahead of time, shop the sales, make a plan and stick to it. Your body, hardworking farmers, honest companies and the environment will be glad you did.

PLAN YOUR MENU
Inventory what items you already have at home and see if you can create complete meals by purchasing just a few additional items like tempeh, pasta sauce or brown rice. This will help you reduce waste at home and save money in store.

SHOP THE SALES
Look at our monthly sales flyer online at www.nativesunjax.com BEFORE you shop. See what items are on-sale and plan your menu to include these great deals. For example, this month Bell & Evans Natural Boneless Chicken Breasts are $1 off/lb, a can of organic black-eyed peas is only $1.29 and organic spinach bunches are just $2.99 each. Dress up this protein-starch-veggie combo with spices and sauces for a delicious, well-balanced meal that will serve four.

STICK TO THE PERIMETER
Start your next shopping trip by sticking to the outside walls first – this is where you will find fresh, unpackaged produce and bulk items, fresh meat & seafood, staples like dairy & bread, and frozen meals that will keep until you need them. Remember, less packaging = less expensive!

BUY IN BULK
When items are not pre-packaged, you are able to buy as little as you need or as much as you want. This will help reduce both cost & waste in the long run. This works for fresh produce, rice, granola, beans, snack items, fresh seafood & meat, and also for spices! If you only need 2 tbsp of cumin for a recipe, only buy 2 tbsp!

Learn more ways to Eat Healthy, Save Money AND Lose Weight by attending Owner Aaron Gottlieb’s breakout session at WJCT’s Speaking of Women’s Health event on Saturday, August 22 at the Hyatt Regency downtown. Tickets are $35*, click here to order yours now.

*I was previously under the impression that Speaking of Women’s Health was a free event, and wrote that it was so in our August Native News E-newsletter. I apologize for the error and any confusion ladies!

A Guide to Native Sun’s Online Media

We understand that different people like to get their information from different places and it all comes down to – which outlet can provide you with the most information the easiest? Are you always on Facebook? Do you like online news delivered right to your inbox vs. having to search it out? Do you like to organize all of your media in to a one-stop RSS reader?

In order to make sure everyone has the opportunity to get the information they are looking for from Native Sun including in-store specials and sales, new product highlights, industry news, food safety alerts, answers from owner Aaron Gottlieb, and more – we’ve created a guide to all of our media efforts to explain how each one is used & how you can use it too.

TWITTER
Where: www.twitter.com/nativesunjax (@nativesunjax)
What: Real-time messages under 140 characters. Quick information on last minute sales, menus of the day, links to online articles, notes from staff, quick answers and more. Watch for ”Freebie Fridays”, be the first to answer the question correctly and win a free $10 gift card.
How: Sign up for a free account at twitter.com then watch a tutorial online about how to ”tweet” and “follow” other users. You can then follow friends online, or have Twitter messages sent to your phone!

We also recommend you follow:
www.twitter.com/live4organic Updates from Owner Aaron Gottlieb
www.twitter.com/ChooseGF Food Education Coord. Ginny Nehring

FACEBOOK
Where: www.facebook.com/nativesunjax
What: Online network of friends & fans, this compiles all of our social media information in one place! See our Twitter messages, Blog posts and Flickr photos on our profile.
How: You’ll need to sign up for a free account at facebook.com to view our profile. Once you’ve joined, add us a friend or “become a fan” to receive notices when we add new information, photos and more.

BLOG – YOU ARE HERE!
Where: www.nativesunjax.wordpress.com 
What: Full articles on industry news, store news, upcoming events, GreenApples charities, and more. Comments encouraged.  
How: Read online, subscribe via email, or add the RSS feed to a reader (Try Google Reader’s free service)

FLICKR
Where: www.flickr.com/nativesunjax
What: This is where we post photos from the store, events, charity donations and more.
How: Flickr photos are free to look at, but you need to sign up for a free account to post comments. Once you’ve joined, add us as a contact to receive updates when we post new photos.