California becomes first US state to force baby food makers to test products for dangerous metals

Baby food makers in California will be forced to test for toxic metals and publish the results on the products’ websites, according to a new bill. 

Gavin Newsom signed the bill on Tuesday, which is the first measure of its kind in the US to require companies to disclose how much metal is in the food. The goal of the bill is to get these manufacturers to start stripping out the contaminants, which have been linked to developmental issues, low IQ, and cancer. 

Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at watchdog Consumer Reports, said: ‘The last thing parents expect to find in baby food are toxic heavy metals like arsenic and lead that can threaten their child’s health and well-being.’

‘California’s new law fills a critical gap in the FDA’s efforts to reduce heavy metals in baby food. By requiring food companies to test their products and post the results online, it will encourage them to get dangerous levels of heavy metals out of their products and help keep babies safe and healthy.’

Newsom’s new law will require baby food manufacturers to post metal amounts on their websites beginning in 2025 and disclose using a QR code on the product label if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposes a limit on that material

Starting in 2024, the law will require baby food manufacturers to test a sample of each of their products every month for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. They will then have to provide the results to the California Department of Health upon request.

The law will require the manufacturers to post the results on their websites beginning in 2025 and disclose using a QR code on the product label if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposes a limit on that material. 

The FDA has previously set limits on these metals but does not strictly enforce them. The agency does not require final product testing to determine if manufacturers are complying with limits, and it does not require companies to disclose test results to consumers.

An investigation conducted by Consumer Reports earlier this year found that the majority of popular baby foods still contain lead, arsenic, and cadmium. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that there is no safe level of lead exposure. Young children exposed to it can suffer hampered development to their brain and nervous system.

Around 2.5 percent of children under the age of five have been exposed to dangerous levels of lead, experts believe.

As a result, they may have slowed growth, learning, behavior, hearing and speech issues. 

And the threat continues into adulthood. A 2018 study published in The Lancet suggested that even low levels of lead from food and other sources contributed to 400,000 deaths a year, half of which are from heart disease. 

In addition, arsenic, which was in several products, is a carcinogen that raises the risk of bladder, lung, and skin cancers. 

It has also been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders and higher chances of infant mortality. 

The new bill comes days after Newsom signed an initiative that outlaws several additives that have been shown to cause cancer.