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In a newly released report from the Environmental Law Foundation, nearly 150 varieties of beverages and fruit snacks marketed to children were tested for lead levels -- and the results were not exactly good.
According to the ELF, 125 out of 146 items contained enough lead in a single serving to warrant a warning label under California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.
The study looked at everything from bottled juices to baby food to canned fruits, and no category was able to pass muster on the lead test.
Additionally, it's not just the larger producers like Welch's, Gerber, Minute Maid, Dole and Del Monte that are singled out. Several smaller brands -- and many store brands (Trader Joe's, Kroger, Safeway among them) -- made the list of foods and beverages that the ELF has flagged and sent notice of violation to various law enforcement and regulatory agencies about.
When contacted for a story by NPR, the Food and Drug Administration did not comment directly on the ELF's report. However:
A spokesman confirmed that the federal limits for lead were last updated nearly two decades ago. In the meantime, many scientists, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, now say that there is no safe level of exposure to lead.
For the complete list of lead-tainted items, go over to inhabitots.com
Lead Found In Children's Foods and Baby Foods: Legal Notices Sent to Law Enforcement [Note: PDF]
85% of Kids' Drinks, Snacks Could Contain High Levels of Lead [inhabitots.com]
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