by Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D., Childrens Health Defense:
In a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said there is a bipartisan opportunity to address heavy metals in baby food. In 2021, Krishnamoorthi co-authored a report finding that baby foods contained lead at levels up to 177 times higher than the permissible amount for drinking water.
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An Illinois congressman is calling on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to join a bipartisan effort to address toxic metals in baby food.
In a letter to Kennedy, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) requested a briefing to discuss the development of a “strategic, evidence-based plan to combat heavy metals in baby food.”
In 2021, Krishnamoorthi co-authored a U.S. House of Representatives staff report finding that baby foods contained lead at levels up to 177 times higher than the permissible amount for drinking water.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not taken action, according to Krishnamoorthi, who wrote:
“In the four years since my investigation, FDA has failed to promptly finalize action levels for toxic heavy metals, such as arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, in foods intended for infants and young children. …
“FDA has continually pushed back its own deadlines and caused parents across the country to worry about their babies’ exposure to toxic heavy metals. FDA has not only failed to remove heavy metals from baby food but even to take incremental steps to move closer to this goal.”
In an interview with Washington-based ABC affiliate WJLA earlier this week, Krishnamoorthi said there is an opportunity for bipartisan action on this issue.
Krishnamoorthi’s letter cited the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda, expressing support for its effort to address factors that may be contributing to the chronic disease epidemic in the U.S.
“While we disagree on many things, I trust that you will agree with me that one vitally important way to accomplish that goal is to improve the nation’s food supply, starting by eliminating contaminants in mass produced baby food,” the letter stated.
The letter asked Kennedy to provide a written response by March 15 and called on him to “urge the future FDA commissioner to take on baby food safety as one of the agency’s top priorities.”
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted to advance the nomination of Dr. Marty Makary, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the FDA, to a full Senate vote.
“Half of our nation’s children are sick and nobody has really been doing anything meaningful on this front,” Makary said during last week’s confirmation hearing.
According to WJLA, “For years, the FDA has been accused of being too cozy with industry, failing to act with all of its power to force companies to make safer food and be transparent about the ingredients.”
Zen Honeycutt, founding executive director of Moms Across America, said she supports efforts to address baby food safety.
“Moms Across America urges the new administration to immediately establish new regulations on baby food and baby formula, as the early months are foundational for development and infants are more impacted by exposure to toxins than adults,” Honeycutt said.
The FDA previously has been unresponsive to her organization’s concerns about the high levels of toxic metals in baby food, Honeycutt said.
“Moms Across America has repeatedly submitted information about alarming levels of heavy and toxic metals aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead in baby formula to the previous administration and we received no response, except for some guidelines for lead in some baby foods.”
Honeycutt suggested the FDA hasn’t taken action because of corporate pressure from Big Ag, which “would not want their profit margins impacted by a change in baby formula ingredients.”
HHS and Krishnamoorthi’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Read More @ ChildrensHealthDefense.org
