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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to lower the amount of lead in fruit juices in hopes of reducing children’s exposure to toxic heavy metal.
On Wednesday, theFDA issued draft action levelsto reduce the amount of lead in apple juice and other juices after previous studies showed that it was having a negative effect on children’s health.
Current regulations state that juice can contain as much as 50 parts per billion (ppb) of lead. The draft action would lower that limit to 10 ppb in apple juice and 20 ppb for all other juices. The FDA said that the change would result in a 46% reduction in exposure to lead from apple juice in children and 19% reduction in exposure to lead from all other juices.
“Exposure of our most vulnerable populations, especially children, to elevated levels of toxic elements from foods is unacceptable,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said in a statement. “This action to limit lead in juice represents an important step forward in advancing FDA’s Closer to Zero action plan, which we are confident will have a lasting public health impact on current and future generations.”
The agency’s plans come after a 2019Consumer Reportsanalysis found “concerning” levels of heavy metals in many fruit juices, many of which were marketed for children. The researchers said that drinking just 4 ounces, or half a cup, was enough to raise concern.
“Exposure to these metals early on can affect their whole life trajectory,“Jennifer Lowry, chairperson of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Council on Environmental Health, said. “There is so much development happening in their first years of life.”
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In response to the FDA’s draft action, Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, said the proposed limits won’t be enough.
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“These proposed levels seem weak, especially when you consider a significant majority of the industry is already meeting them,” Ronholm said in astatement. “These action levels seem to give credit for work already done instead of attempting to protect public health.”
source: people.com
