New York's food-testing efforts are in the spotlight as the state struggles to keep lead and other toxic metals out of baby food as the federal government delays setting stricter nationwide standards.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has led a coalition calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to quickly implement restrictions on toxic substances in baby foods, following reports that recalled products have been linked to hundreds of childhood lead poisoning cases.
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets says its inspectors and laboratories are on the front lines protecting the state's food supply.
“I want New Yorkers to know that we have a dedicated team that is carefully and proactively monitoring our food supply to protect public health,” said Katie Howard, the department's deputy commissioner.
The state has jurisdiction over more than 36,000 food facilities, and in 2023, inspectors seized more than 652,000 pounds (296,000 kilograms) of violating products and issued about 130 recalls.
At the state's food lab, scientists test more than 20,000 samples a year for contaminants.
“We collect samples from grocers and farmers and test them for microbes, contaminants and chemical contaminants,” said Maria Ishida, director of the food institute.
The lab uses methods such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to detect heavy metals such as lead, arsenic and cadmium in baby foods.
“The samples will be taken to a food laboratory where our team will analyse them to determine if there is anything that could have health and safety implications,” Howard said.
If violations are found, the state will act quickly to notify companies and tailor recalls based on risk level.
“They will classify the severity of the issue and report the violations to authorities,” Ishida said. “Regardless of the severity, the recall could be Class 1 or Class 2.”
The federal government only sets limits on inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal, but James and others argue that the FDA needs to do more because no level of lead is considered safe for children.
“I want to assure New Yorkers that we have dedicated teams working every day to ensure the health and safety of our food supply,” Howard said. “You may not see us, but we are out there inspecting.”
The FDA says it is working on setting limits for harmful substances in baby food but has not given a deadline, and consumer advocates say federal regulators need to act faster.
