CANNED KIDNEY BEANS — CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE®

Information updated December 2023

Canned Kidney Beans are certainly convenient and tasty, but what’s inside those cans?

HIDDEN SUGARS

Bush’s Best brand Kidney Beans contain added sugar >> 1/2 cup of each of the two Bush’s Kidney Beans shown below has 3 grams of sugar in 1/2 cup. (Source for ingredients: Bush’s Best Foodservice Web site 12/23)

Bush Beans does not provide ingredient information on their consumer Web site. (Source: Bush’s Best Web site 12/23)

BUSH’S KIDNEY BEANS ARE BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS These Bush’s Kidney Beans are both banned at Whole Foods Market for containing the chemical Disodium Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid which Whole Foods cites as “Unacceptable in food”. (Source for banned ingredients: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 12/23)

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid goes by the seemingly innocuous acronym of EDTA.

In addition to the Disodium Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid, Bush’s Best Kidney Beans also contain other Not In Kitchen™ ingredients like Added Sugar, Dextrose and Calcium Chloride >> the latter two are commercial items which we do not have in our home kitchens.

Ingredients are always listed in descending order of amount >> After the kidney beans, the main ingredients in these Bush’s Best Kidney Beans are Water, two Sweeteners, Salt and two Chemical Preservatives.

In addition to Sugar, there is Added Dextrose in these Bush’s Best Beans >> Dextrose is the sugar from which candies like Smarties are made.

GOYA RED KIDNEY BEANS CONTAIN CHEMICALS: Similar to Bush’s, Goya Red Kidney Beans are banned at Whole Foods Market because they contain Disodium Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid. Goya’s Kidney Beans also contain another Not In Kitchen ingredient, the man-made Chemical Preservative, Calcium Chloride. (Source for ingredients: Goya Web site 12/23)

GENERAL MILLS-OWNED PROGRESSO RED KIDNEY BEANS are banned at Whole Foods because they contain a Chemical Preservative. (Sources: General Mills Progresso and Walmart Web sites 12/23)

OTHER BRANDS OF CANNED RED KIDNEY BEANS CONTAIN ADDED NOT IN KITCHEN INGREDIENTS LIKE SUGAR, CORN SYRUP AND MAN-MADE CHEMICALS. Allens, Kuner’s and Hanover Kidney Beans all have added sweetener(s). Allens and Hanover contain the chemicals Calcium Chloride and Disodium Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid, while Rienzi contains the FDA-recognized Chemical Preservative, Ascorbic Acid. (Sources for ingredients: Brand Web sites 12/23; U.S. FDA 2023)

CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE BRANDS OF CANNED OR JARRED KIDNEY BEANS: These have no Chemical Preservatives, no Added Sweeteners, no Added Flavorings and use Organic Kidney Beans. The Closest To Homemade® brands include USDA Organic + Non-GMO Project Verified Westbrae Natural with Non-BPA can lining; Eden Foods with Organic Kidney Beans with a BPA + BPS + Phthalate Free Can; USDA Organic 8 Track Foods with Non-BPA lining; USDA Organic in a glass jar with BPA-free lid Jovial from Italy which is also Certified Gluten-Free; Target’s Good & Gather Organic, and USDA Organic + Non-GMO Project Verified Field Day with a Non-BPA can lining. (Sources: Brand Web sites 12/23)

*Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list*

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