Recently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urged manufacturers to considerably minimize the amount of lead in processed baby food.
FDA warns against the high amount of lead in baby food
Lead can poison everyone, but kids are more susceptible to its effects because they’re still developing. Lead poisoning can harm the brain and neurological system, impede emotional and physical growth, and serves as a factor in issues with behaviour, memory, hearing, and speech.
The possible risks of lead exposure from old paints and water pipes in the area’s pre-1970s home stock are well known to several Philadelphia families.
One may wonder why there is lead in the baby’s food. Although this should be worrying, clinician dietician at Nemours Children’s Health in Delaware, Kim Kramer, says there is no reason for concern. She explained that the new guidelines are not a reaction to the growing number of contamination cases but are instead part of continuing efforts to minimize the quantity of heavy metals in foods.
Plants, fruits, and vegetables get lead through the soil where they are grown. Lead can be found in the soil, but the levels have increased due to gasoline contamination, external lead-based paints, and industrialization.
Although it is impossible to eliminate all lead in food, the FDA’s new regulations require food makers to try their best to do so while also making sure that lead isn’t added throughout the production process.
FDA introduces new recommendations on lead quantity in baby food
According to the FDA, lead per billion parts should be kept at ten parts per billion for fruits, vegetables, and meat packaged items like tubes, jars, and pouches. No dry cereal ought to contain more than 20 ppb of lead. The FDA predicts these limitations could reduce baby lead contamination by 24% to 27%.
There isn’t an acceptable level of lead exposure. However, Kramer noted that the quantities that might be present in infant food under the latest FDA recommendations are extremely low. The FDA’s effort, Closer to Zero, aims to reduce the quantity of heavy metals like lead in baby foods.
