Nature’s One baby formula is safe and does not contain dangerous levels of arsenic as a recent Dartmouth study suggested, Jay Highman, CEO of the pediatric nutrition company based in Lewis Center, Ohio said in a statement. Last month, researchers at Dartmouth College released the results of a study about arsenic levels in baby formula and cereal bars sweetened with organic brown rice syrup. There are no U.S. laws regulating arsenic content in food, but there is standard for bottled water of 10 parts per billion (ppb). Dartmouth researchers said results of their study showed that one of the two baby formulas tested that used organic brown rice syrup as a sweetener had arsenic levels at six times the federal limit for bottled water. Although the formula manufacturers were not … [Read more...]
FDA Urged to Set Standards for Maximum Allowable Levels of Arsenic
Two members of Congress are urging FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to set standards for the maximum allowable levels of arsenic and other dangerous heavy metals in foods and beverages. Representatives Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the ranking Democrat on the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, and Frank Pallone, Jr., D-New Jersey, said in a letter to the commissioner late last week that something needs to be done to protect children and adults from juice beverages that contain unsafe levels of arsenic and lead. DeLauro and Pallone cited recent research on the threat that arsenic in fruit juices and other food products, such as brown rice, pose. They want the FDA to implement maximum standards for all food products, including infant formula. "Currently, the … [Read more...]
FDA Increases Scrutiny of Arsenic in Rice
The FDA has "expanded" the surveillance of arsenic levels in organic brown rice syrup after a report last week about alarming amounts of the compound in baby formula and cereal bars. The brands were not named in the study. That report, titled Arsenic, Organic Foods, and Brown Rice Syrup, detailed high levels of inorganic arsenic in several products: Baby's Only Organic® Dairy Toddler Formula and Baby's Only Organic® Soy Toddler Formula, both produced by Nature's One®, use organic brown rice syrup. Nature's One® has released a prepared response: "An independent, third party testing laboratory completed testing on organic brown rice syrup used in formulas produced in 2011. The testing proved there are no safety concerns using the organic brown rice syrup ingredient. Nature's One® … [Read more...]
Of 8 Presidents Who Died in Office, One Succumbed to Food Poisoning
George Washington and Abraham Lincoln get most of the attention on Presidents' Day, but it is intended to honor all American Presidents and one of those men -- Zachary Taylor -- is said to have met his fate from food poisoning. Taylor was the 12th president of the United States and it was the first political office he ever held. He had been a military leader who fought in several Indian wars, as well as in The Mexican War (1846-48). They called him "Old Rough and Ready" because of his willingness to share his troops' hardships. He kept one of his old war horses, Whitney, on the White House grounds. It was just 16 months into his term as president when he attended 4th of July ceremonies at the Washington Monument. It was a blistering hot day and he ate from the local picnic … [Read more...]
Some Baby Formula Sweetened with Brown Rice Syrup Contains Arsenic
According to a study by scientists at Dartmouth College, some baby formula and cereal bars sweetened with organic brown rice syrup exceed U.S. government standards for arsenic in bottled water. That standard is set at 10 parts per billion (ppb). There are currently no United States laws regulating arsenic content in food. The Dartmouth study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, sampled 17 baby formulas, 29 cereal bars and three energy shot drinks, all purchased in New Hampshire. The brands were not named. The researchers found that the one of the two formulas that used organic brown rice syrup as a sweetener had arsenic levels at six times the federal limit for bottled water. Brown rice syrup is used in some products instead of other sweeteners such as high … [Read more...]
