ADVERTISEMENT
NY AG Probes Baby Food Cos. Over Arsenic In Rice Cereal
Law360 (April 29, 2021, 6:56 PM EDT) The New York attorney general on Thursday announced an investigation into baby food makers, including Gerber Products Co. and Beech-Nut Nutrition Co., over high levels of inorganic arsenic in their food, months after a congressional report revealed high levels of toxins in major baby food brands.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said that she asked the companies, which also include Nurture Inc. and Hain Celestial Group Inc., to look into whether their baby rice cereal has more arsenic than the maximum allowed by state law. She is also examining whether their advertising and promotion comply with New York consumer protection.
To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog:
Are baby foods subject to stricter standards that adult foods? The short answer is, not really. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has specific guidelines for baby formulas, labeling requirements for baby and toddler foods, and maximum allowable levels of arsenic in baby rice cereal. These requirements are not unlike requirements for other foods, but should baby food requirements be stricter than those for adult foods? Recently, baby foods have come under scrutiny following reports of allegedly high levels of heavy metals in baby food. This led to a Congressional investigation.
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Are baby foods subject to stricter standards that adult foods? The short answer is, not really. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has specific guidelines for baby formulas, labeling requirements for baby and toddler foods, and maximum allowable levels of arsenic in baby rice cereal. These requirements are not unlike requirements for other foods, but should baby food requirements be stricter than those for adult foods? Recently, baby foods have come under scrutiny following reports of allegedly high levels of heavy metals in baby food. This led to a Congressional investigation.
On February 4, 2021, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform released a staff report entitled “Baby Foods Are Tainted with Dangerous Levels of Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury” (“Staff Report”). The Staff Report recommended additional testing and FDA regulations. The
USDA, FDA Issue Joint Statement on Transmissibility of COVID-19 on Food Packaging
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have issued a
joint statement stating that “there is no credible evidence of food or food packaging associated with or as a likely source of viral transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causing COVID-19.” The statement was issued one week after the World Health Organization
reportedly stated that the virus could be transmitted on frozen food packaging.
“The USDA and the FDA are sharing this update based upon the best available information from scientific bodies across the globe, including a continued international consensus that the risk is exceedingly low for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to humans via food and food packaging. For example, a recent opinion from the