Toxic Metals and Physical Metals Are a Dangerous Duo for Baby Food

The Baby Food Safety Act 5 of 2021 was introduced to Congress (following a subcommittee report) to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to limit the presence of toxic elements in, and otherwise regulate, infant and toddler food, and for other purposes.

According to the bill, Section 104 of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (21 U.S.C. 2201) is to be amended by adding at the end the following: ‘Beginning not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021, infant and toddler food is deemed to be adulterated if it meets or exceeds the action level or regulatory limit that is applicable with respect to such food under this subsection….

“The initial action levels include:

- Inorganic arsenic: 10 ppb for infant and toddler food (except cereal) and 15 ppb for infant and toddler food that is cereal
- Cadmium: 5 ppb for infant and toddler food (except cereal) and 10 ppb for infant and toddler food that is cereal
- Lead: 5 ppb for infant and toddler food (except cereal) and 10 ppb for infant and toddler food that is cereal
- Mercury: 2 ppb….”

The FDA’s goal is to get the levels of toxic elements in baby foods closer to zero. Why? The Cleveland Clinic, explained the danger on its website:

At high levels, heavy metals are toxic to infants and children. They may

- Contribute to behavioral concerns, including attention disorders.
- Increase the risk of cancer.
- Contribute to learning problems.
- Slow growth and development.

Unfortunately, toxic metals occur naturally in the water, air, and soil, so almost anything that grows absorbs at least trace amounts of the toxic metals. The good news from the Cleveland Clinic is that most packaged foods contain a very low dose of heavy metals, so providing children a healthy variety of foods in moderation will help avoid the consumption of dangerously high levels.

There are also other kinds of metals that can be dangerous but can be avoided. During food production, there’s a possibility of vibrating machinery dropping loose screws, nuts, and bolts into the products. Or parts can wear out faster, and pieces of mesh screen or broken off parts can contaminate a batch. If these physical contaminants are not caught, they can be shipped in packaged products, land on store shelves and be picked up by consumers. If someone swallows these metal contaminants, especially an infant or toddler, there could be dire consequences.

Most food processing companies utilize food safety technology, including industrial food metal detectors, in order to help ensure that physical metal contaminants do not enter the production stream. Metal detectors are ubiquitous in food processing facilities. They are most commonly used at the end of the line and as the last line of defense to support food quality and safety before a packaged product is on its way to the consumer.

There are metal detectors that use high frequency radio signals to detect the presence of metal in food or other products. A digital signal processing system analyzes certain signals and sends an alert if metal is present. Multiscan metal detectors are capable of scanning up to five user-selectable frequencies running at a time, and have a higher probability of finding ferrous, non-ferrous, and stainless steel metal contaminants in challenging applications. (Read the White Paper: Why Multiscanning Technology Improves Metal Detection and Food Safety.)

When it comes to reducing metals in a toddler’s diet, it seems that removing physical contaminants may be an easier task than totally avoiding the toxic metals because there is currently food safety technology that can help protect children, the product and a company’s brand reputation against devastating outcomes that could result from even the smallest metal contaminants.