Senator Cory Booker’s Safe School Meals Act proposes widespread reforms that would reduce the presence of toxic heavy metals, pesticides, artificial food dyes, and chemicals in school lunches, and would mandate research to progress remediation methods for environmental contaminants polluting farms.
A recent University of Delaware study has shown that, although certain irrigation management approaches can reduce the levels of either cadmium or arsenic in rice crops, irrigation management may not be able to simultaneously mitigate both of the chemicals.
A recent study found that, while alternative farming practices aimed at reducing water usage can lower greenhouse gas emissions and arsenic levels in rice, the same practices may also increase cadmium content in plants. The same study also demonstrated that no-till farming techniques raise the likelihood of mycotoxin contamination in crops.
A new study has found that California community drinking water systems serving majority Latino communities are disproportionately contaminated by higher nitrate and arsenic contamination, and that the issue is exacerbated by droughts.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has identified health risks of dietary exposure to dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), small organic arsenic species in food.
To protect the health of young children, the Baby Food Safety Act of 2024 has been introduced in U.S. Congress to give FDA the authority to enforce scientifically established limits on heavy metals in commercially produced infant and toddler food.
Based on a recent risk assessment conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), European consumers’ dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic is a health concern, with associated effects including different types of cancer, birth issues, and other issues.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA’s NIFA) has granted a Michigan State University (MSU) research team $611,000 to explore the uptake of toxic heavy metals in food crops, with the goal of providing a guide containing mitigation strategies and decision-making resources for growers and policymakers.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a final guidance for industry, titled, Action Level for Inorganic Arsenic in Apple Juice, which identifies an action level of 10 parts per billion (ppb) for inorganic arsenic in apple juice.
The EU is making changes to the levels of arsenic allowed to be present in certain foods. The European Commission published Regulation (EU) 2023/465, amending Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006, which sets forth maximum levels of contaminants, such as arsenic, in certain foods.
