Under pressure to act in the wake of the recent congressional report into heavy metals in baby food, the FDA has unveiled a new action plan - ‘Closer to Zero – setting forth its approach to reducing exposure to toxic elements in foods commonly eaten by babies and young children.
The move follows a
report and follows the introduction of
The Baby Food Safety Act* in Congress, which proposes action levels for four heavy metals in baby foods, although the FDA has yet to evaluate the scientific basis for such thresholds.
While the ultimate goal is to get levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury (which are found in soil and water and sucked up by plants) down as close to zero as possible in baby foods, the FDA says it is “