The best baby food in the US is contaminated with dangerous levels of inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousHigh levels of toxic heavy metals found in some baby foods, including some biological lines. The United States Report
Baby food should be the healthiest, most controlled but unfortunately this is not always the case. A new investigation by a White House subcommittee found that many aliments for infancyto contain heavy metals and other dangerous substances. And the producers are aware of this.
Disturbing news is coming from the US where a recent investigation found that the best baby foods are contaminated with dangerous levels of inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury. What's more, industry self-regulation fails to protect consumers as manufacturers set their own dangerously high internal standards for heavy metals toxic.
The dossier was published yesterday by Raja Krishnamoorthi, president of the subcommittee for economic and consumer policy. According to the analysis, baby food is contaminated with dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals that endanger childhood neurodevelopment and long-term brain function.
“Baby food manufacturers occupy a special position of public trust. But consumers mistakenly believe these companies aren't selling unsafe products. The subcommittee staff report found that these manufacturers knowingly sell tochildhood limes containing high levels of toxic heavy metals. I hope companies commit to making safer baby food. Regardless, it is time we developed better standards for the sake of future generations, ”said Krishnamoorthi.
The survey
Internal tests performed on brands Gerber, a unit of Nestlé, Nutrition Company, Nurture Inc., of Danone, which sells Happy Baby products and Hain Celestial Group, Inc., which sells organic food, showed heavy metal levels well above the limits set by the FDA and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Congressional investigators found. According to the study, some products contained up to 91 times the level of inorganic arsenic, up to 177 times the level of lead, up to 69 times the level of cadmium and up to 5 times that of mercury allowed for example for water in bottle.
“These results are multiples greater than those allowed by existing regulations for other products. For example, the Food and Drug Administration has set the maximum
allowed level in bottled water to 10 ppb inorganic arsenic, 5 ppb lead and 5 ppb cadmium and the Environmental Protection Agency reduced the permitted level of
mercury in drinking water at 2 ppb. Test results for baby foods and their ingredients eclipse those levels: including results up to 91 times the level of arsenic, up to 177 times the level of lead, up to 69 times the level of cadmium, and up to 5 times the level of the level of mercury ”reads the study.
It doesn't matter if the food was biological or less. However, the heavy metal levels were high.
The reactions
CNN reached out to the four companies for a reaction before the report was released, which none of them had yet seen.
Tanner he defended himself and told CNN via email, that
“All of our foods meet our safety and quality standards, which are among the most stringent not only in the United States, but in the world. Gerber foods are supported by rigorous supervision at all levels of the growing and production process where currently there are no government standards, we develop our own rigorous standards by applying the latest guidelines on food safety ”.
Beech-Nut Nutrition claimed to have
"Established standards of heavy metal analysis 35 years ago and we continually review and strengthen them where possible." In addition, the company claims to have tested “each delivery of fruit, vegetables, rice and other ingredients for up to 255 contaminants to confirm that each shipment meets our rigorous quality standards. If the ingredients don't meet our standards, we reject them. "
Happy Baby, which is part of Happy Family Organics, replied that the company
"It does not sell products that have not been rigorously tested and does not have products on the market with ranges of contaminants outside the limits set by the FDA."
Hain he replied after publication:
“We are disappointed that the Subcommittee report examined outdated data and did not reflect our current practices. Earth's Best has consistently supported efforts to reduce naturally occurring heavy metals from our food reserves. We are ready to assist the Subcommittee's efforts towards this goal. "
For the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Organization, inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury are toxic heavy metals that are dangerous to human health, especially to infants and children, which are the most vulnerable their neurotoxic effects. Even low levels of exposure can cause severe and often irreversible damage to brain development.
“I look forward to the FDA's careful regulation of these toxic heavy metals in baby food, followed by stringent compliance requirements and mandatory consumer labels,” concluded Krishnamoorthi.
Click here to read the report
Sources of reference: Oversight White House, CNN
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