Latest news with #SarahSorscher
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Publix recalls baby food pouches over potential lead contamination
Publix, a national supermarket chain, is voluntarily recalling baby food that could be contaminated with lead, the company announced this week. The company said it discovered the problem through routine testing and has pulled its GreenWise Pear, Kiwi, Spinach & Pea Baby Food pouches from its shelves, according to a news release, which said there were 'no reported cases of illness' related to the product. It's the second recall of baby food for potential lead contamination in recent weeks — and in both cases, the Food and Drug Administration didn't issue its own news release to warn the public, which safety experts and advocates said surprised them. The FDA did not explain why it hadn't issued a news release for the Publix recall or Target's voluntary recall in March of its Good & Gather Baby Pea, Zucchini, Kale & Thyme Vegetable baby food puree. In that case, the FDA posted details about the recall in the agency's public recall-monitoring database. 'The FDA is committed to ensuring that all necessary information regarding product recalls is promptly communicated to protect public health,' the agency said in a statement. Publix did not respond to a request for comment. Target said that its Good & Gather recall 'involved a limited amount of product, which we took immediate action to remove from our shelves.' The recalls come amid heightened concern about contaminated baby food, following the 2023 recall of apple cinnamon puree pouches for children that had elevated levels of lead. And they're also occurring as the Trump administration pledges to make baby food safer through increased testing, though some safety advocates say those promises are undermined by the deep staffing and funding cuts to federal health FDA does not issue news releases for all food recalls, but it generally does so in cases where it determines there is a serious risk to public health, food safety experts and advocates said. Last year, the FDA issued news releases for multiple recalls of lead-contaminated cinnamon. Sarah Sorscher, director of regulatory affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group, said it was 'concerning' that the FDA had chosen not to publicize the two recent recalls, given the serious health risk that lead poses to babies and young children, including brain damage, slower development and behavioral problems. 'There is no safe level of lead,' Sorscher noted. The FDA amplifying a recall can help reach more consumers, she added, especially for products like baby food that can have a long shelf life. 'It increases the attention that stores and consumers give it, so that it's more likely to be pulled off the shelf,' she said. Lead contamination can happen during the manufacturing process, but it can also occur through contaminated soil used to grow produce. In January, in the final weeks of the Biden administration, the FDA created a maximum level for lead in baby food for the first time. Though the standard is voluntary, it has helped push baby food companies to conduct more testing and initiate recalls, food safety experts and advocates said. 'Industry is taking that guidance to heart and being more proactive,' said Jennifer van de Ligt, a baby food expert who was among the FDA scientists laid off in recent weeks. 'If that guidance stays in place, it should put pressure on industry to comply.' The Trump administration has launched a high-profile effort to make infant formula and baby food safer under Operation Stork Speed. The administration said in March that the program would include 'increasing testing for heavy metals and other contaminants in infant formula and other foods children consume.' The FDA has not provided details about this increased testing and, when asked this week, instead pointed to its new effort to review nutrients in baby formula. Meanwhile, food safety advocates and former agency staff members have raised concerns about the impact of the Trump administration's mass layoffs on food safety issues like lead contamination. In April, the agency shuttered a federal laboratory that specialized in testing food for lead and other heavy metals and terminated its staff members, only to backtrack weeks later. The FDA also stalled in publicizing food safety warnings after terminating communications and public records staff, sources said. The administration additionally fired federal experts for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who worked to prevent lead poisoning in children and proposed eliminating the lead poisoning prevention program in a leaked budget draft. In a statement, a CDC spokesperson said the agency reorganization plans were being finalized but that 'the work of this program will continue.' Sorscher argued that there was a contradiction between the administration's stated support for baby food safety and many of its actions. 'There is what they're saying they want to do to clean up the food supply, and what they're actually doing,' she said. This article was originally published on
NBC News
16-05-2025
- Health
- NBC News
Publix recalls baby food pouches over potential lead contamination
Publix, a national supermarket chain, is voluntarily recalling baby food that could be contaminated with lead, the company announced this week. The company said it discovered the problem through routine testing and has pulled its GreenWise Pear, Kiwi, Spinach & Pea Baby Food pouches from its shelves, according to a news release, which said there were 'no reported cases of illness' related to the product. It's the second recall of baby food for potential lead contamination in recent weeks — and in both cases, the Food and Drug Administration didn't issue its own news release to warn the public, which safety experts and advocates said surprised them. The FDA did not explain why it hadn't issued a news release for the Publix recall or Target's voluntary recall in March of its Good & Gather Baby Pea, Zucchini, Kale & Thyme Vegetable baby food puree. In that case, the FDA posted details about the recall in the agency's public recall-monitoring database. 'The FDA is committed to ensuring that all necessary information regarding product recalls is promptly communicated to protect public health,' the agency said in a statement. Publix did not respond to a request for comment. Target said that its Good & Gather recall 'involved a limited amount of product, which we took immediate action to remove from our shelves.' The recalls come amid heightened concern about contaminated baby food, following the 2023 recall of apple cinnamon puree pouches for children that had elevated levels of lead. And they're also occurring as the Trump administration pledges to make baby food safer through increased testing, though some safety advocates say those promises are undermined by the deep staffing and funding cuts to federal health agencies. here. The FDA does not issue news releases for all food recalls, but it generally does so in cases where it determines there is a serious risk to public health, food safety experts and advocates said. Last year, the FDA issued news releases for multiple recalls of lead-contaminated cinnamon. Sarah Sorscher, director of regulatory affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group, said it was 'concerning' that the FDA had chosen not to publicize the two recent recalls, given the serious health risk that lead poses to babies and young children, including brain damage, slower development and behavioral problems. 'There is no safe level of lead,' Sorscher noted. The FDA amplifying a recall can help reach more consumers, she added, especially for products like baby food that can have a long shelf life. 'It increases the attention that stores and consumers give it, so that it's more likely to be pulled off the shelf,' she said. Lead contamination can happen during the manufacturing process, but it can also occur through contaminated soil used to grow produce. In January, in the final weeks of the Biden administration, the FDA created a maximum level for lead in baby food for the first time. Though the standard is voluntary, it has helped push baby food companies to conduct more testing and initiate recalls, food safety experts and advocates said. 'Industry is taking that guidance to heart and being more proactive,' said Jennifer van de Ligt, a baby food expert who was among the FDA scientists laid off in recent weeks. 'If that guidance stays in place, it should put pressure on industry to comply.' The Trump administration has launched a high-profile effort to make infant formula and baby food safer under Operation Stork Speed. The administration said in March that the program would include 'increasing testing for heavy metals and other contaminants in infant formula and other foods children consume.' The FDA has not provided details about this increased testing and, when asked this week, instead pointed to its new effort to review nutrients in baby formula. Meanwhile, food safety advocates and former agency staff members have raised concerns about the impact of the Trump administration's mass layoffs on food safety issues like lead contamination. In April, the agency shuttered a federal laboratory that specialized in testing food for lead and other heavy metals and terminated its staff members, only to backtrack weeks later. The FDA also stalled in publicizing food safety warnings after terminating communications and public records staff, sources said. The administration additionally fired federal experts for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who worked to prevent lead poisoning in children and proposed eliminating the lead poisoning prevention program in a leaked budget draft. In a statement, a CDC spokesperson said the agency reorganization plans were being finalized but that 'the work of this program will continue.' Sorscher argued that there was a contradiction between the administration's stated support for baby food safety and many of its actions. 'There is what they're saying they want to do to clean up the food supply, and what they're actually doing,' she said.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
USDA Rolls Back Biden-Era Plans to Limit Salmonella in Raw Poultry
The Agriculture Department has scrapped a Biden-era proposal to limit salmonella in raw chicken and turkey products, saying it would be an 'overwhelming burden' on small producers. Food safety experts are crying fowl over the decision—'The message they seem to be sending to consumers is: you're on your own,' said Brian Ronholm of Consumer Reports. The policy, which had yet to come into effect, would have blocked the sale of meat contaminated with the bacteria that makes 1.3 million Americans sick each year. The National Chicken Council crowed about the cost of the measure, calling it 'legally unsound,' but consumer advocates argue they just couldn't be bothered to impose the rule. 'It was just an effort they weren't willing to make,' Sarah Sorscher from the Center for Science in the Public Interest said. The USDA insists the move will have no impact on food safety. Guess we'll all just have to wing it.
New York Post
25-04-2025
- Health
- New York Post
USDA withdraws plan to limit salmonella levels in raw poultry
The Agriculture Department will not require poultry companies to limit salmonella bacteria in their products, halting a Biden Administration effort to prevent food poisoning from contaminated meat. The department on Thursday said it was withdrawing a rule proposed in August after three years of development. Officials with the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service cited feedback from more than 7,000 public comments and said they would 'evaluate whether it should update' current salmonella regulations. The rule would have required poultry companies to keep levels of salmonella bacteria under a certain threshold and test for the presence of six strains most associated with illness, including three found in turkey and three in chicken. If the levels exceeded the standard or any of those strains were found, the poultry couldn't be sold and would be subject to recall, the proposal had said. Advertisement 3 After three years of development, the Agriculture Department said it was withdrawing a rule proposed in August on limiting salmonella bacteria. manjurul – The plan aimed to reduce an estimated 125,000 salmonella infections from chicken and 43,000 from turkey each year, according to USDA. Overall, salmonella causes 1.35 million infections a year, most through food, and about 420 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The withdrawal drew praise from the National Chicken Council, an industry trade group, which said the proposed rule was legally unsound, misinterpreted science, would have increased costs and create more food waste, all 'with no meaningful impact on public health.' 'We remain committed to further reducing salmonella and fully support food safety regulations and policies that are based on sound science,' said Ashley Peterson, the group's senior vice president of science and regulatory affairs. Advertisement 3 The rule would have required poultry companies to keep levels of salmonella bacteria under a certain threshold and test for the presence of six strains most associated with illness, with some found in chicken and turkey. didesign – But the move drew swift criticism from food safety advocates, including Sandra Eskin, a former USDA official who helped draft the plan. The withdrawal 'sends the clear message that the Make America Healthy Again initiative does not care about the thousands of people who get sick from preventable foodborne salmonella infections linked to poultry,' Eskin said in a statement. Advertisement The proposed rule had been regarded as a food safety victory similar to a 1994 decision to ban certain strains of dangerous E. coli bacteria from ground beef after deadly outbreaks, said Sarah Sorscher, of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. 3 'Make no mistake: Shipping more salmonella to restaurants and grocery stores is certain to make Americans sicker,' Sarah Sorscher, of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said. AP 'Make no mistake: Shipping more salmonella to restaurants and grocery stores is certain to make Americans sicker,' Sorscher said. Advertisement Earlier this month, the USDA said it would delay by six months the enforcement of a final rule regulating salmonella levels in certain breaded and stuffed raw chicken products. Enforcement, which was set for May 1, now begins Nov. 3. That covers foods such as frozen chicken cordon bleu and chicken Kiev dishes that appear to be fully cooked but are only heat-treated to set the batter or coating. Such products have been linked to at least 14 salmonella outbreaks and at least 200 illnesses since 1998, according to the CDC.
