"Despite the trace amounts of lead in the products at issue, the federal government has determined that Americans need to eat more - not less - of these nutritious foods," the companies' attorney, Michele Corash, wrote in court documents.
#Warning label expert witness trial#
If the trial judge finds that is true, it could exempt the companies from having to warn consumers. The companies also argue that the lead in fruit and vegetables used in the products is naturally occurring. Others use the term more broadly to describe any child with levels that can impact intelligence or cause other harm. Some specialists describe children as having lead poisoning only when high levels of lead are present. Old paint, contaminated drinking water and soil tainted by old leaded gasoline are primary sources of lead exposure for children in the U.S., the CDC reported. children are believed to have lead poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. has declined significantly since it was removed from paints and gasoline formulas. Lead exposure can damage a child's developing brain and lead to a lower IQ. Also covered by the suit are grape juice and fruit cocktail. Food and Drug Administration tested products targeted in the lawsuit and decided levels were below the federal standards that require a warning.įDA tests on products named in the lawsuit also found lead levels "below FDA's current tolerable intake levels for lead."īut both sides in the case agree on one fact: Baby foods containing carrots, peaches, pears and sweet potatoes have some lead. Lawyers for the food companies say the U.S.
Instead, Judge Steven Brick will hear testimony from about a dozen lead and toxicology experts before issuing his ruling. "Under their argument you could consume the entire (legal limit) of lead in one day, so as long as you didn't eat any more of it over the rest of the month," Jim Wheaton, an attorney for the foundation, said after the proceedings ended for the day.
The plaintiffs countered that Petersen's analysis was misleading because it averaged the lead level in the entirety of the companies' products - rather than looking at each individually.
and many other makers of baby foods and juices are selling products containing lead at levels that require warning labels under California Proposition 65, the Environmental Law Foundation asserts in the suit filed in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland. Gerber Products Co., Del Monte Foods, Beech-Nut Nutrition Corp. The trial will help determine if the products must carry warning labels in California.
SAN FRANCISCO - An expert witness testified Monday that average lead levels in baby foods fall below the threshold for warning labels mandated under a California reporting standard.īarbara Petersen, a food safety scientist, was the first witness in the civil trial involving a lawsuit filed by an environmental group against the nation's largest baby food makers aimed at forcing the companies to alert consumers that some products contain low amounts of lead.
0 kommentar(er)
