NY Attorney General Probes Arsenic in Baby Cereal
Monday, May 3, 2021
We have reported on FDA’s guidance document, “Inorganic Arsenic in Rice Cereals for Infants: Action Level Guidance for Industry,” which was finalized in August 2020 and sets an action level of 100 parts per billion (ppb) as the threshold for considering whether infant rice cereal may be “adulterated” and enforcement action is warranted. A February 4, 2021 Congressional report on the finding of heavy metals in baby foods in the U.S. raised questions regarding compliance with FDA’s action level and, among other things, recommended the possibility of “phasing out” ingredients such as rice, that are high in toxic heavy metals. As discussed here, the “Baby Food Safety Act of 2021,” was later introduced, on March 25, 2021, and would impose a lower action level of 15 ppb for inorganic arsenic in infant and toddler cereal.