Navigating the Murky Waters of Food Safety: What Every Parent Needs to Know

The state of food safety in the US is not good, particularly for our kids. Hearing about a recent recall for pouches of applesauce by WanaBana due to high levels of lead and remembering the scandal with baby formula makers during the pandemic – I was compelled to do some digging into the state of food safety in our country, and what I’ve found is both eye-opening and concerning. A study published by the CDC shows that food borne illnesses had increased in 2022 compared to prior years, and by just reading recent news it looks like this year might be even worse.

The shortage of infant formula during the pandemic should have been a wake-up call for many people, but it seems like it barely made a blip on the radar of those in charge of ensuring our children’s well-being. What’s startling to find out is that, back in 2022, the FDA waited 4 months to inspect facilities after receiving its first report of the contamination that ended up killing 2 babies and sickening many. What’s more, the FDA waited a little over 2 weeks to notify the public after their inspection confirmed the contamination. The delayed response and lack of transparency only highlighted the need for greater vigilance in protecting our kids from potential food hazards.

Now that we’re at the end of 2023, if you think the baby formula shortage is behind us: think again. Because of the recall during the pandemic, the shortage had originally started in February of 2022, but by “February 2023, about a third of families with an infant younger than 1 said they had had trouble getting supply, according to market research firm IRI.” Without a more recent source and because I was curious – I just went to my local Walmart today, and although I saw plenty of formulas available to purchase, I noticed quite a lot of empty spaces on the shelves. This leads me to believe that problems with baby formula inventory are still ongoing, but without any followup reporting – who can say?

The possible ongoing shortage shouldn’t be surprising as, just a few months ago in August, the FDA issued “warning letters for violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and the FDA’s Infant Formula regulations were issued to ByHeart Inc., Mead Johnson Nutrition (Reckitt), and Perrigo Wisconsin, LLC. They reflect findings from FDA inspections of these facilities over the last several months. At the time of each inspection, the FDA issued inspectional observations and exercised oversight of each firm as they initiated recalls (in December 2022, February 2023 and March 2023) to remove products potentially contaminated with Cronobacter sakazakii from the marketplace.” So, I don’t think this fiasco is really over. Do you?

Given the FDA’s apparent disregard for infant health and in the face of obvious corporate negligence, it’s sadly unsurprising that our toddlers would face similar risks at the hands of these assholes. This is evident in the recent recall of fruit purée pouches from 3 different brands due to elevated lead levels that were far above the safety guidelines. This lead toxicity was only discovered when children started showing up at hospitals, and not due to any prior testing on the parts of these companies or the FDA.

Looking into the voluntary recall for WanaBana Apple Cinnamon pouches, which was announced on October 30, 2023, upon examining the batch numbers included in the recall – it would appear that the issue with elevated lead levels may have persisted as far back as October 2022. This means their product could have been in circulation in the market for nearly a year before outside reports of sick children prompted the recall, instead of coming from their own internal testing. If they do any testing at all? I saw no discussion of the batch numbers in any of the articles I read on the subject – as they related to a manufacturing date – by the way.

Despite the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into law by President Obama back in 2011 which gave the FDA increased regulatory power on companies, things seem to have just gotten worse for consumers and our kids since then. Even more recently, “ the number of “units,” such as individual bags of salad or containers of infant formula, went up 700.6 percent.” However, public attention appears to dissipate around these stories due to the lack of consistent reporting and follow up from news organizations. Most parents are unfortunately under informed or misinformed about the state of our country’s public health problems related to food safety.

This may be an entirely American problem too. Although it’s difficult to compare the rates of foodborne illness between countries, it does seem like the US has a bigger problem with rates of food related illnesses than other countries. According to numbers from a 2011 report, in the UK there were 180 deaths per year from 11 pathogens compared to 2612 deaths in the US from 31 pathogens. By that count the US has 3 times the amount of deaths and as well as pathogens in comparison to the UK. Although, a recent article reports that the EU has seen a rise in recalls of food and beverages in Europe during the first part of this year. So maybe the EU is playing a little game of catch-up with us now, but I doubt they’ll ultimately come close to our stellar performance in this area of negligence.

Furthermore, it’s not just food products that we have to worry about in this country either. Recent news has highlighted a concerning epidemic of toxic eye drops, leading to devastating consequences such as blindness or, in severe cases, the necessity of having one’s eyes removed. The FDA has issued urgent warnings regarding 26 over-the-counter eye care products, cautioning about the potential for infection that could ultimately lead to vision loss or even permanent blindness. Not to get off the topic of the health of our children in talking about this eye drop horror story, but this just shows how bad our regulatory system is right now.

Unfortunately, we can’t just rely on the powers-that-be in this country to keep our kids safe. Companies prioritize profits, and the regulatory bodies meant to safeguard us often struggle to effectively monitor their activities. So, we’ve got to be the detectives, the watchdogs, the no-nonsense parents who demand better. I think we’ve all been a little naive up till now, assuming that companies test their products before sending them out to the marketplace. I think we realize now that WE are these companies’ lab rats. It’s us and our children who end up being the final phase (or only test phase, apparently) of their haphazard experiments. 

In the face of these unexpected challenges which we face at the grocery store today, there might be a silver lining. More families may be opting for breastfeeding and preparing homemade purees for their toddlers. Given the economic climate, it’s natural that many of us are tightening our belts and finding ways to cook at home. This shift would not only strengthen the bond between us and our kids but also ensure we have full control over what goes into their tiny bodies. It’s up to us parents to be informed and keep our kids safe. Good luck to you all! You’ll need it.