Illinois lawmakers are moving closer to banning toxic heavy metals in baby food.
Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) has introduced a bill to prohibit the sale, distribution, or offering of baby food in Illinois if it contains arsenic, cadmium, lead, or mercury. The bill would require baby food manufacturers to test for these toxic metals every month.
Companies would also need to disclose the name and level of each metal in their products and provide a link to the FDA’s website with information about health risks for children.
A QR code would be required on packaging to give consumers easy access to testing details.
“Many people don’t realize this is a problem,” Fine said. “You think you’re giving your child something healthy, and it’s shocking to find out it could be harmful.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health would be able to set rules for consumer reporting of toxic baby food under this proposal.
Senate Bill 73 passed unanimously in the Senate Public Health Committee on Wednesday. Senators could vote on the measure when they meet in Springfield next month.
“Our children deserve safe, healthy food, especially in those important early years,” Fine said.
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