Food firms seek chemical-coating alternatives

New York

FOR consumers, figuring out which canned foods and plastics contain the controversial chemical known as BPA can be nearly impossible. But determining whether newer alternatives are any safer may be even more difficult.

Some food giants such as General Mills and the Campbell Soup Co have shifted away from using bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical commonly used in the coatings of canned goods to ward off botulism and spoilage. But in many instances, some health advocates said, companies do not disclose which products are now BPA-free.

More worrisome, these advo…