Comments to FDA on action levels for lead in juice

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is urging the Food and Drug Administration to prioritize public health, not industry’s interests, when setting standards for heavy metal contamination in foods and beverages consumed by infants and young children.

In comments submitted yesterday on FDA’s Closer to Zero action plan, CSPI criticized FDA for taking an inadequately protective approach to setting action levels for lead in juice in the action plan. Closer to Zero, which the agency launched last year in response to two congressional reports finding that baby foods sold in the U.S. are sometimes contaminated with toxic heavy metals, like lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury.