The FDA is responsible for our nation’s food supply. The agency has taken the initiative to “reassure parents and caregivers that at the levels we have found through our testing, children are not at an immediate health risk from exposure to toxic elements in foods. The FDA routinely monitors levels of toxic elements in food, and if we find that they pose a health risk, the FDA takes steps to remove those foods from the market.”
 
The FDA initiated its Closer to Zero action plan to establish science-based regulatory “action levels” for the presence of certain naturally occurring heavy metals in foods intended for babies and young children. The action plan consists of a four-stage approach which includes scientific evaluation, proposing draft action levels, consulting with stakeholders, and finalizing the action levels. Their initiative aims to scientifically reduce dietary exposure to naturally occurring and unintentional contaminants, while trying to avoid unintended consequences, such as eliminating nutritious foods, like carrots, from the marketplace.

At this time, FDA has established final action levels for lead in fruits, vegetables, mixtures (including grain- and meat-based mixtures), yogurts, custards/puddings, single-ingredient meats, and dry infant cereals. It has also established action levels for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal and in apple juice – neither of which are products Beech-Nut currently sells. Through the Closer to Zero action plan, the agency is also working to establish final action levels for additional heavy metals in other foods intended for babies and young children.