Can Aluminum Leach into Sardines from the Can?

March 4, 2014, by Debra Lynn Dadd

Question from Bonnie Erik

Hi Debra,

I am a longtime follower & have had wonderful & informative consultations with you in the past.

I love to eat sardines- can you please tell me if the aluminum from the BPA free can could leach into the fish. Of course I would not buy it in acidic tomato sauce- only olive oil or water.

Thank you very much

Debra's Answer

Well, the consensus seems to be that aluminum does not leach into sardines, but I'm not sure I agree.

If aluminum leaches into food from aluminum pots and pans, and aluminum foil, it would also leach from an aluminum can, particularly if there is no lining on the inside of the can, which seems to be the case.

Here's an article from one of my favorite trusted websites The World's Healthiest Foods. According to Is it Safe to Eat Fish Packaged in Cans, Like Salmon and Sardines?:

With canned food, the risk is greater if the food inside the can is either watery and acidic (like canned tomatoes or canned tomato sauce) or if it is oily (like canned sardines and salmon). The risk is also greater when heating is involved. In general, we would place oily, canned fish like canned sardines and salmon in a higher-than-average risk category since there is often "double-cooking" involved (cooking prior to canning, and then heating in the can for sterilization purposes), and oils in and surrounding the fish can allow contaminants in the packaging to migrate from the can into the food.

But the article then goes on to say what I was about to say, which is one always needs to consider if the benefits outweigh the risks.

Will you get more positive benefit from the food than harm from the contaminants?

It all comes down to balance: balancing the good and the harm, and the toxic substances coming into and moving out of your body.

I always try to err on the side of caution.

Only you can make those decisions.

Updated 2020 by Lisa Powers: Cans are typically aluminum but can also be tin-coated steel or chromium-coated steel. They are typically lined with a coating to prevent migration into the food. It is the lining that is problematic. You may have heard that BPA leached into food from cans. The BPA is from the epoxy coating that the can is lined with. Some cans now use BPA-free liners. More research needs to be done to determine the safety of the new liners.
If you can find products in glass that is ideal. Pouches are also preferred to cans. As a last resort I would find a can that specifies BPA-free.