Lead-contaminated sachets of applesauce and cinnamon, which had been imported from Ecuador, sickened hundreds of children. But food manufacturers are not required to test for this toxic heavy metal in their products.
The FDA would need Congress to enact legislation giving the agency the authority to impose mandatory testing, Dr. Robert Califf explained. Califf's comments come two days after an investigation by Consumer Reports, a consumer advocacy group, found high levels of lead in certain Lunchables products. The group is now calling on the federal government to remove Lunchables from the national free and reduced-price school lunch program. The agency does not currently set limits for heavy metals in most foods. Only a handful of products, including chocolate candies and sugar-based candies, have specific limits for lead. In 2022, the agency released draft guidelines on limits forLead in juices. “At the FDA we are arbitrators,” he added. “You, in Congress, are the ones who write the rules”