FDA Webinar Informs Stakeholders about Action Levels for Lead in Baby Foods
On March 2, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a webinar to provide an overview of recently established action levels for lead in food intended for babies and children, as well as to answer stakeholder questions. The action levels were set out in a draft guidance, titled, Action Levels for Lead in Food Intended for Babies and Young Children, in January 2023, in support of FDA’s Closer to Zero initiative.
Susan Mayne, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) at FDA, opened the webinar by reminding stakeholders that, while it is not possible to entirely eliminate toxic heavy metals of concern—lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury—from foods due to their natural presence in the environment, FDA and industry can work towards continual reduction over time. The agency considers the action levels established in the draft guidance achievable when industry takes the required control measures. FDA estimates that the action levels will result in a 24–27 percent reduction in exposure to lead among babies and young children.