Illinois recently enacted a law that requires baby food manufacturers to test their products for toxic elements (i.e., lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury). By January 2027, the results must be made publicly available for consumers.
Senator Cory Booker’s Safe School Meals Act proposes widespread reforms that would reduce the presence of toxic heavy metals, pesticides, artificial food dyes, and chemicals in school lunches, and would mandate research to progress remediation methods for environmental contaminants polluting farms.
A recent study of canned tuna packed in oil and sold in Europe revealed toxic chemicals bisphenol A (BPA) and/or glycidol in all of the analyzed tuna products. Mercury and 3-MCPD were not found at levels high enough to cause concern.
An expert report commissioned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) weighed the nutritional benefits of seafood consumption against the health risk of dietary exposure to contaminants in seafood, with special consideration to childhood growth and development.
To protect the health of young children, the Baby Food Safety Act of 2024 has been introduced in U.S. Congress to give FDA the authority to enforce scientifically established limits on heavy metals in commercially produced infant and toddler food.
NASEM has completed a study to better understand the nutritional benefits of seafood consumption versus the health hazards posed by contaminants like toxic heavy metals. The study fulfills a request from FDA, partly in a Closer to Zero effort to answer questions about mercury exposure. A webinar about the findings will be held on March 26, 2024.
A recent study published in Food and Chemical Toxicology suggests that lead, cadmium, and mercury have varying negative effects on human brain development and cognition.
Consumer Reports (CR) recently tested canned tuna from popular brands, and observed varying levels of mercury, a toxic heavy metal found in foods, on a can-to-can basis.
As part of the Closer to Zero Action Plan, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct an independent study to assess young children’s exposure to mercury from consuming seafood.
