15 popular products for children are recognized as dangerous

A new study from Consumer Reports found that many types of foods that babies and toddlers frequently eat, such as packaged meals, fruits and vegetables, contain some heavy metals.

Фото: Depositphotos

What's more, nearly 70 percent of the foods tested contained "alarming levels" of at least one of the heavy metals lead, cadmium or inorganic arsenic.

Consumer Reports researchers recently examined 50 various packaged products for young children who tested three samples.

Most are popular brands such as Gerber and Beech Nut, but the researchers noted that the results should be interpreted as "a spot check of the market and should not be used to draw definitive conclusions about specific brands."

However, from the studied brands and samples: “15 from products will present potential health risks for a child regularly consuming one serving or less per day.”

Here are the 15 foods:

1. Earth's Best Organic Chicken & Brown Rice;
2. Earth's Best Turkey, Red Beans and Brown Rice;
3. Gerber Chicken & Rice;
4. Gerber Turkey & Rice;
5. Sprout Organic Rice with Turkey;
6. Gerber Lil 'Meals White Turkey Stew with Rice & Vegetables;
7. Gerber Carrot, Pear & Blackberry;
8. Gerber Carrots Peas & Corn with Lil 'Bits;
9. Plum Organics Just Sweet Potato Organic Baby Food;
10. Beech-Nut Classics Sweet Potatoes;
11. Earth's Best Organic Sweet Potatoes, 1st Stage;
12. Earth's Best Organic Whole Grain Rice Cereal;
13. Earth's Best Organic Sunny Days Snack Bars, Strawberry;
14. Happy Bab Organics Superfood Puffs, Apple & Broccoli;
15. Happy Baby Organics Superfood Puffs, Purple Carrot & Blueberry.

The researchers also found that products for children and toddlers designated as "organic" do not mean that these products were safer or contained less heavy metals than inorganic products.

According to a Consumer Reports study, the effects of these heavy metals are long-term, not short-term. Long-term effects can lead to serious complications, such as various types of cancer, 2 type diabetes and cognitive problems, among other potential side effects.

"Heavy metals should not be in food at a time when they can damage the nervous system, cause cancer, and harm children's development," James Dickerson, research scientist and Consumer Reports, told WebMD.

"These toxins can remain in your body for years," Tande Akinleye, a chemist in Consumer Reports' food safety division who led the testing, said in the report.

Despite popular belief, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently has no strict limits on the levels of heavy metals found in these products for children and toddlers that come from water and soil contaminated with pesticides.

When Consumer Reports contacted the FDA with its findings, the agency said it "made it a priority and is working to reduce the health risks that these elements represent, especially for those who are most vulnerable: children." WebMd reported that the FDA plans to "finalize" new guidelines "on these levels by the end of the year."

According to Consumer Reports, all baby food manufacturers that were included in the study also contacted them, many said they would support more stringent recommendations for heavy metals in baby food.

As for parents, Consumer Reports researchers recommend limiting the amount of rice grains in your child’s diet, choosing white instead of brown rice (the latter had higher levels of inorganic arsenic), limiting snack foods (for example, rice cakes and chips), limiting fruit juice intake. a child (for example, apple and grape juice) and limit chocolate intake (cocoa powder may contain heavy metals, such as lead, according to a study).

Interestingly, bananas, hard boiled eggs and strawberries contain low levels of heavy metals.

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