FDA limits toxic lead in some baby foods

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday set maximum levels of lead in baby foods like potted fruits and vegetables, yogurt and dry cereal, as part of an effort to reduce exposure from young children to the toxic metal that causes developmental and neurological problems.

The agency released final guidelines that it says could reduce lead exposure from processed baby foods by about 20 to 30 percent. The limits are voluntary and not mandatory for food manufacturers, but they allow the FDA to take enforcement action if foods exceed the levels.

This is part of the FDA’s ongoing efforts to “minimize dietary exposure to contaminants, including lead, in foods over time, while maintaining access to nutritious foods,” the agency said. agency in a press release.

Consumer advocates, who have long sought to limit lead in children’s foods, welcomed the guidelines first proposed two years ago, but said they did not go far enough.

“The FDA’s actions today are a step forward and will help protect children,” said Thomas Galligan, a scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “However, the agency was too slow to act and ignored important public input that could have strengthened these standards. »

The new lead limits for children under 2 do not cover grain-based snacks like sprouts and teething cookies, which some research has shown contain higher levels of lead. And they don’t limit other metals such as cadmium that have been detected in baby foods.

Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, called the limits “virtually meaningless because they are based more on industry feasibility and not what would best protect public health.”

A spokesperson for baby food maker Gerber said the company’s products met the limits.

There is no safe level of lead exposure for children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The metal causes “well-documented health effects,” including damage to the brain and nervous system and slowed growth and development. However, lead occurs naturally in some foods and comes from pollutants in air, water and soil, which can make it impossible to completely eliminate.

FDA guidelines set a lead limit of 10 parts per billion for fruits, most vegetables, grain and meat mixtures, yogurts, custards and puddings, and single-ingredient meats. It sets a limit of 20 parts per billion for single-ingredient root vegetables and for dry infant cereals. The guidelines cover packaged processed foods sold in jars, pouches, tubs or boxes.

The new guidelines come more than a year after lead-contaminated applesauce and cinnamon packets sickened more than 560 children in the United States between October 2023 and April 2024, according to the CDC.

The lead levels detected in these products were more than 2,000 times the maximum set by the FDA. Officials stressed that the agency does not need guidance to take action on foods that violate the law.