Each State Must Address The Toxic Baby Food Brands On Their WIC-Approved List And Remove The Offenders

Companies that produce baby foods that test for high amounts of toxic heavy metals should not be subsidized through government food programs

Friday, January 7, 2022 - One of the more insidious angles playing out in the continuing investigation of heavy metals in baby food is the abuse of Federal government-sponsored food programs, administered at the state level, to unload the toxic baby food on unsuspecting low-income minority populations. Reports continue to surface that indicate food programs intended to help feed low-income inner-city minorities force mothers with young children to purchase baby food that is tainted by heavy metal. Investigations have issued toxic baby food warnings. "Alarming levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury in baby food, exposed this year after a pair of Congressional reports pulled back the curtain on the industry's top brands for "knowingly keeping toxic products on the market" and "consistently cutting corners and putting profit over the health of babies and children." Mothers of children in low-income families are being steered to purchase contaminated food through, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program.

Each state is required to make a list of the foods that are available in the Federal food voucher program. WIC's mission is to provide healthy, nutritious food to families with children five and under that might not be able to afford them otherwise. Spotlight on America (SOA) went through each state's list of approved foods and found that some states only permitted buying brands of foods that Congress has determined contained toxic heavy metals. SOA found, for example, that those in Ohio were only permitted to purchase Gerber products that Congress had determined contained unacceptably high amounts of heavy metals. SOA told readers that Alaska, Hawaii, and Oregon had taken notice and removed rice cereals from their approved list because they were found to contain arsenic. Other states have failed to remove cereals from their food list and provide no warning to parents about the Congressional findings according to SOA. Although three states removed the toxic Gerber rice cereal, "That exact product remains on the WIC list in California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Texas, and Washington - potentially impacting millions of families." It may take an FDA recall of baby foods contaminated with heavy metals for the state governments to step up and amend their approved nutritious foods list. The National WIC Association addressed the toxic baby food findings from Congress last March and explained that it was up to the FDA to take action. "Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not set limits on heavy metals for baby foods except for arsenic in rice cereal. At the same time, baby food manufacturers are not required to test and disclose the amount of arsenic and other metals in their products." It is clear that nothing will be done until other concerned organization pressure the FDA to take action to remove Gerber, Beachnut, and other baby foods from the market.

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