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America's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a draft action to reduce lead percentage levels in fruit juices. The decision has come regarding children's health that might be adversely affected by the current amount.
In a statement released by FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. said:
"Exposure of our most vulnerable populations, especially children, to elevated levels of toxic elements from foods is unacceptable."
Packaged juices have a quantity of lead
The changes are set to reduce the current level of the metal in packaged juices. Lead levels in single-strength apple juice need to be reduced from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 parts per billion (ppb), and a reduction of 20 parts per billion (ppb) for all other single-strength juice types, including juice blends that contain apple juice.
The FDA announced that a low 10 ppb level of the metal in apple juice (most commonly consumed by kids) could reduce lead exposure in children by almost 46%, and a level of 20 ppb in other kinds of juices could result in a 19% reduction in the same.
Susan Mayne, Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said:
"As we outlined in the Closer to Zero action plan, the agency is increasing targeted compliance activities as part of our efforts to monitor levels of these elements in foods through the FDA’s Total Diet Study, Toxic Elements in Food and Foodware program and sampling assignments."
Mayne explained that the FDA would also be reducing the permitted level of other harmful components in food; she continued:
"For example, action levels may be progressively lowered over time, as appropriate, to make continual improvements in reducing the levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury in foods eaten by babies and young children."
Effect of the heavy metal on children's health
The FDA relied on its interim reference level (IRL) to measure the amount of metal in food and blood levels. According to the agency, lead is a naturally occurring element found in many different food products. Removing the metal entirely from food resources is impossible; however, higher consumption levels can give rise to various health-related problems.
Children exposed to metal can have developmental issues with the brain and nervous system. Infants, young children, pregnant women, and fetuses have the highest risk of developing a defect.
The FDA mentioned a list of issues that can crop up with a high level of lead consumption, including neurological effects like learning disabilities, behavior difficulties, and lowered IQ. It can also affect immunological, cardiovascular, renal, reproductive, and/or developmental factors.
The agency also stated that the metal has the potential to accumulate in the body, which means that continuous consumption in small amounts can give rise to problems after a certain period of time.
The FDA recommended parents follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to reduce the consumption of packaged juices and focus on consuming whole fruits instead. They also advised completely excluding fruit juices from children's diets under 12 months of age. FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf said:
"This action to limit the metal 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 Closer to Zero action plan is an idea to reduce toxic chemicals, including lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, from food items.
Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, responded to the FDA's draft action by saying that the recommended limits won't be enough and a further reduction should be placed. He said:
"These proposed levels seem weak, especially when you consider a significant majority of the industry is already meeting them. These action levels seem to give credit for work already done instead of attempting to protect public health."
Ronholm and Consumer Reports believe that the metal quantity in food items should be limited to 1 ppb or less.
The FDA said that it was working with various manufacturers to devise the best action plan. They are currently accepting comments and recommendations on the draft guidance until June 28 before getting finalized.
