The Detox Project has now enabled baby food brands across the U.S. to become compliant with California’s AB 899 law by using their new QR code based third-party certification, CleanScan, to easily show consumers their heavy metals test results, while reducing the space required on their packaging for contaminants claims.
Following their USD 800 Million success story in building the Glyphosate Residue Free certification market, The Detox Project launched their new certification CleanScan last year, which is the first ever QR code-based certification for food and supplements and has received interest from brands and retailers all over the world.
According to the new California law, AB 899, as of January 1, baby food manufacturers must provide third-party lab results for Mercury, Lead, Cadmium and Arsenic to the public on their websites and packaging via a QR code. The new law applies only to sales of baby food in California, but major manufacturers, including market leaders Gerber and Beech-Nut, told CNN they are rolling out QR codes on baby and toddler foods nationwide. However, baby food brands have found AB 899 difficult to implement and have been given a few months grace period under the new law to do so.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recently announced new guidance on the levels of one of the major heavy metals, lead, in which they outline action levels for processed foods intended for babies and young children:
- 10 parts per billion (ppb) for fruits, vegetables (excluding single-ingredient root vegetables), mixtures (including grain- and meat-based mixtures), yogurts, custards/puddings, and single-ingredient meats;
- 20 ppb for single-ingredient root vegetables; and
- 20 ppb for dry infant cereals.
CleanScan: “The Perfect Solution for Baby Food Brands and Consumers”
CleanScan’s QR Code based certification now enables baby food brands to be fully compliant with AB 899 at the same time as reporting results in a way that consumers can understand and trust.
“CleanScan certification is a major breakthrough that enables brands to reduce their possible legal liability, which they could have if reporting their own results, and enables a standardized and easy way of reporting lab results to consumers,” Henry Rowlands, Director of The Detox Project, stated Monday.
“We enable brands to reach consumers with the claims they are proud of, without wasting space on their packaging and at a low flat rate cost of $1900 per brand per year for as many products as they wish to certify. Current claims we enable include transparency on pesticide, glyphosate, heavy metals testing results and Non-GMO certification,” Rowlands continued.
Over the last decade, investigations by consumer advocacy groups and a congressional subcommittee have discovered alarming levels of heavy metals in supermarket baby foods.
According to a 2021 congressional investigation, internal documents from major manufacturers revealed some baby food samples contained up to 177 times the lead level, 91 times the inorganic arsenic level, and 69 times the cadmium level allowed in bottled water by federal agencies.
These heavy metals have been linked to cancer, chronic disease and neurotoxic effects, but it’s the damage that can be done to a developing child’s brain that makes baby food toxicity so devastating.
“It is the perfect time for baby food brands to align with what consumers are demanding – full transparency,” Rowlands concluded.