檢測機構：這些嬰兒食品含重金屬過多

產品檢測機構消費者報告（Consumer Reports）警告稱，在它檢驗的嬰兒食品中，三分之二的產品含有數量“令人不安”的鉛、水銀等重金屬。

該機構對美國50款嬰幼兒包裝食品的鎘、鉛、水銀以及無機砷含量進行了檢測。重金屬對人體有害，吃含有重金屬的食品或暴露在相關環境中會造成重金屬逐漸在人體內積累。這些物質可導致癌癥、神經疾病、糖尿病、生殖以及心血管疾病。

嬰兒食品是一樁大生意——2015年的價值約為530億美元，有人預計到2021年這個數字將達到760億美元。

對嬰兒食品的監督也越發嚴格。去年，另一家獨立私營食品認證機構稱其檢驗的530款嬰兒配方奶粉中，80%的產品含有污染物。

該認證機構的研究以及消費者報告的最新檢測結果均表明，大米制成的食品更有可能含有較多的砷，而且其中一些產品的鉛、鎘含量也很高。這三種物質以及檢驗針對的其他金屬在自然界中形成，可在植物生長過程中被植物吸收。但人類活動，包括噴灑殺蟲劑、采礦和使用含鉛汽油會使環境受到更嚴重的污染，從而讓我們的食品變得更“毒”。

消費者報告稱，它發現比納（Beech-Nut）經典紅薯泥、愛思貝（Earth’s Best Organic）紅薯泥以及嘉寶（Gerber）火雞肉泥的含鉛量“讓人擔心”。該機構在加州購買了這些產品，數量均為一份。加州對食品含鉛量有自己的標準，而消費者報告表示它相信其檢測結果已經超標。美國聯邦政府沒有對嬰兒食品中的重金屬含量做出過規定。

好消息是，消費者報告發現在其檢測的50款食品中，16款產品的重金屬含量勉強能令人接受。該機構食品安全研究及檢測部門負責人詹姆斯·羅杰斯說：“我們檢測的每一類食品都屬于風險較低的組別。這說明制造商有辦法顯著降低這些金屬在其產品中的含量，或者予以清除?！?

對此，美國食品與藥品管理局（FDA）告訴消費者報告，該局將確立蘋果汁和嬰兒米粉中無機砷含量的指導性標準，同時將發起消費者教育活動并考慮對制造商施壓，以促使后者降低食品中的重金屬含量。

《消費者報告》的檢測還發現，有機食品和非有機食品并無不同。

比納在一份聲明中表示：“特別要指出的是，鉛的困難之處在于它自然形成而且在土壤中分布廣泛?！?

該公司還稱：“我們期待有機會跟FDA合作，進而在科學基礎上為食品行業中的企業制定可執行的標準?！?

對《財富》雜志提出的問題，愛思貝母公司海恩時富（Hain Celestial）以及嘉寶尚未做出回應。（財富中文網）

譯者：Charlie

審校：夏林

Two-thirds of baby foods tested by Consumer Reports (CR) had “worrisome” levels of a heavy metal such as lead or mercury, the product-testing organization has warned.

CR tested for cadmium, lead, mercury, and inorganic arsenic in 50 packaged foods for babies and toddlers in the U.S. Heavy metals are toxic to the human body and accumulate over time when people eat food containing them, and through environmental exposure. The substances can contribute to cancers, neurological diseases, diabetes, reproductive issues, and cardiovascular disease.

Baby food is big business: it was worth around $53 billion in 2015 and one projection puts it at $76 billion by 2021.

It is also the subject of increasing scrutiny. A separate private food certification organization reported last year that 80% of the 530 infant formulas it tested contained contaminants.

Both that study and the new CR report found that foods containing rice were likelier to contain high levels of arsenic, and some also had elevated lead and cadmium levels. These and the other tested-for metals occur naturally in the environment and can be absorbed by plants as they grow. But human activities, including pesticide application, mining and the use of leaded gasoline, can pollute the environment with higher levels, making our food more poisonous.

The CR report found what it called “concerning” levels of lead in Beech-Nut Classics Sweet Potatoes, Earth’s Best Organic Sweet Potatoes, and Gerber Turkey & Rice. CR purchased one sample of each of those products in California, which has its own limit on lead levels, and it said it believed the levels it found violated those limits. There are currently no federally mandated limits for heavy metals in baby food.

On a positive note, the CR report found 16 of the 50 foods it tested had “less concerning” levels of heavy metals. James Rogers, director of food safety research and testing at CR, said: “Every category of food we tested was represented in that lower-risk group. That indicates that there are ways for manufacturers to significantly reduce or eliminate these metals from their products.”

In response, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told CR it would finalize guidelines limiting inorganic arsenic in apple juice and infant rice cereal, and that it would conduct a consumer education campaign and consider pressuring manufacturers to reduce heavy metal levels.

The study also found that organic foods did not differ from non-organic ones.

Beech-Nut issued a statement noting that “the difficulty with lead, in particular, is that it is naturally occurring and widely present in soil,.”

“We would welcome the opportunity to work with the FDA on science-based standards that food suppliers can implement across our industry,” the company added.

Hain Celestial (which owns Earth’s Best Organic) and Gerber have not yet replied to questions from Fortune.