Beyond the costs of recalling products, the reputational risk can have long-term impacts. Well-managed companies strive to stay well below the action level to avoid risking a recall. We are working with Fapas and other stakeholders to update the list.Ī lab needs to measure contaminants at levels much lower than FDA’s action level. We helped develop the criteria and evaluate the labs before EDF withdrew from the Council in October 2021. To find a list of labs that met the four criteria, we encourage you to use the list published by the Baby Food Council as of August 2021. If you see a reporting level over 6 ppb, consider a different lab. Only when challenged to lower the reporting limit did they upgrade their reports and update their accreditation. Some reported levels as high as 10, 15, or 20 ppb as nondetectable, despite being able to do better. We also found that labs demonstrating proficiency at around 6 ppb needed to upgrade their lab reports to meet the fourth criterion. We encourage stakeholders to ensure participation of any labs on which you might rely. Fapas is conducting another round of proficiency testing starting August 8, 2022. Almost half of the labs failed to accurately measure the toxic elements at that level.Ī second round of testing yielded similar results for labs that either failed the first round or participated for the first time. As described in detail below, Fapas, a company that performs third-party proficiency testing internationally, conducted a blinded test with baby food samples containing lead, arsenic, and cadmium at around 6 ppb. In our experience, the third criterion is the most challenging. Here is the list of labs that met these criteria as of August 2021. Provide a written report of results at that level.Demonstrate proficiency in a third-party, blinded test to quantify lead, arsenic, and cadmium to around 6 parts per billion (ppb) and.Use the analytical method based on FDA’s Method 4.7. Be accredited under international standards for testing and calibration of labs ( ISO/IEC 17025).We recommend that labs meet four criteria to provide credible results: While we believe that the action levels need to be tougher, any action level has a limited value if labs that analyze samples for contamination provide results that buyers, regulators, or consumers cannot trust. This is the third in our Unleaded Juice blog series exploring how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets limits for toxic elements like lead, arsenic, and cadmium in food and the implications for the agency’s Closer To Zero program.įDA’s move to establish action levels on lead in juice – and eventually other foods that young children eat or drink – is an important step forward. Tom Neltner , Senior Director, Safer Chemicals
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |