Lunchables and popular brands of children's veggie puffs were found to have high levels of lead, something Northeastern expert Neil Maniar said families "shouldn't gloss over." You might worry about lead in your pipes or the base of your beloved Stanley cup. But what about your food? Consumer Reports broke a lot of bad news to parents when it detailed how much lead was found in two popular products aimed toward children.
The company's testing found Lunchables and certain brands of veggie puffs had concerning amounts of lead in them. "This is one of those things that families shouldn't gloss over," said Neil Maniar, professor of the practice and director of the masters of public health program at Northeastern University. "There is a need for continued advocacy to make sure that we have the proper testing standards across all foods and that the food supply is safe.
" Consumer Reports based its testing around California's law that sets a maximum allowable dosage level (MADL) exposure that people should digest. (However, no amount of lead is truly safe to consume, said Kimberly Garrett, a postdoctoral research associate and member of the PFAS Project Lab at Northeastern, adding that California's MADLs are "very, very conservative.") Consumer Reports found that Lunchables and similar snack kits contain "potentially concerning" levels of lead.
Certain variations of Lunchables' snack kits had between 69% and 74% of the maximum allowable dosage level. The organization also tested baby.
