Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 3/8/21

The agency said Friday that it will begin the lengthy process of tightening standards on heavy metals commonly found in baby foods, after a House panel found that major companies sold food products with much higher levels of arsenic, lead and cadmium than what health experts consider safe for infants, our Helena Bottemiller Evich reports.

The backstory: The House Oversight findings last month caused a panic among parents and prompted class-action lawsuits against companies including Beech-Nut and Gerber. Companies named in the report tried to reassure parents that their products are safe, but the efforts did little to stop the blowback. Exposure to the metals is considered a risk to brain development in infants and young children.

The FDA has also been criticized for being slow to act. The agency took years to set voluntary standards for inorganic arsenic in rice cereal for infants, though health advocates still consider them too lax. A separate voluntary limit on the metal in apple juice has yet to be finalized after draft guidance was released in 2013. (Brush up on the backstory from Helena here.)

Now, the FDA says it’s a high priority and is telling baby food makers they should take steps to reduce metal levels as part of their own food safety controls — a move that leverages existing requirements under the Food Safety Modernization Act.
But don’t expect pressure from the Hill to let up: Congress has historically let public health agencies like FDA set their own safety limits, but lawmakers appear ready to step in and mandate limits if the agency doesn’t move on this.

— Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, chair of the Oversight subcommittee that released the landmark report last month, said Friday he was “disappointed” that the FDA didn’t commit to imposing rules that would remove toxic metals from all baby foods.

— “It highlights the need for Congress to pass legislation with strict standards and timelines,” the Illinois Democrat said. “Babies don’t have time to wait for FDA to fill in details. Parents: I encourage you to keep pushing for progress with us.”