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The Food and Drug Administration proposed latest limits Tuesday on lead in baby food, in an effort to cut back exposure to a toxin that may impair childhood development.
The lead limits apply to processed food consumed by children younger than two years old. In a press release, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said the bounds would cut back lead exposure from these foods by as much as 27%.
The proposed lead limits should not legally binding on the industry, however the FDA said it could use them as a think about deciding whether to take enforcement motion against an organization for selling contaminated food.
The agency proposed the next lead concentration limits for baby food:
- 10 parts per billion for fruits, vegetables, yoghurts, custards and puddings, mixtures, and single ingredient meats. This could reduce exposure by 26%.
- 20 parts per billion for root vegetables. This could reduce exposure by 27%.
- 20 parts per billion for dry cereals. This could reduce exposure by 24%.
Lead is toxic and particularly dangerous for young children. It might probably impair brain development and the nervous system, leading to learning disabilities and behavioral difficulties.
Lead exposure through food amongst children ages 1 to three has declined 97% for the reason that Eighties, in line with the FDA. Though progress has been made through the years, the agency launched an effort in 2021 to cut back the degrees of lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury in kid’s food to the best extent possible.
Food consumed by children can contain lead on account of contaminated water or soil, industrial activity and old lead-containing equipment used to make food, in line with the FDA. The agency said it is not possible to completely remove lead from the food supply, but the bounds should push industry to take measures to cut back its presence as much as possible.
