North Cook News

In a recent development, Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has reached out to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., urging action on toxic metals in baby food. The congressman highlighted a bipartisan opportunity to tackle this issue, citing findings from a 2021 report he co-authored that revealed baby foods contained lead levels up to 177 times higher than permissible for drinking water.

Krishnamoorthi's letter to Kennedy called for a briefing to develop a "strategic, evidence-based plan" against heavy metals in baby food. He criticized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for not finalizing action levels for toxic metals like arsenic, cadmium, and mercury in infant foods over the past four years.

The congressman expressed hope for bipartisan cooperation on this matter during an interview with ABC affiliate WJLA. His letter also referenced the "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, emphasizing the need to improve the nation's food supply by eliminating contaminants in mass-produced baby food.

The letter requested Kennedy's written response by March 15 and urged him to prioritize baby food safety at the FDA. On Thursday, Dr. Marty Makary's nomination as FDA head advanced to a full Senate vote. During his confirmation hearing, Makary said that half of the nation's children are sick and emphasized the lack of meaningful action on this front.

Zen Honeycutt of Moms Across America supported efforts for new regulations on baby food safety, criticizing past FDA responses as inadequate due to corporate pressure from Big Ag.

Despite these concerns, HHS and Krishnamoorthi’s office did not comment further on the matter.

Information from this article can be found here.