A Closer Look at Closer to Zero—The FDA’s Plan to Reduce Exposure to Heavy Metals in Baby Food

Closer to Zero is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s plan to reduce exposure to toxic heavy metals from the foods given to babies and small children. The goal is to reduce that risk to nearly nothing—as low as it can possibly go—close to zero. Babies and young children have smaller bodies and a metabolism that cannot properly process and eliminate contaminants such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic. 

Metals are naturally occurring elements and can be found in the food supply. They enter the food supply through our air, water, and soil. Contamination comes from the higher levels of these elements in the food supply due to industrial, manufacturing, or agricultural processes. 

The FDA and its partners have worked diligently to reduce human exposure to heavy metal toxins. Closer to Zero is the FDA’s action plan to continue to advance the progress made in this area by outlining a science-based initiative to continue to make improvements in the future. 

To make these advancements over time, the FDA is focusing on the following initiatives:

• Expanding research on dietary exposure to heavy metals
• Partnering with stakeholders to set action levels
• Promote industry best practices to reduce the level of toxic elements in agriculture
• Enhanced compliance and enforcement procedures 
• Actively monitoring progress over time

Reducing the levels of toxic metals in the food supply is a complicated, multi-faceted issue that involves stakeholders from many industries. It’s also important to ensure that these efforts don’t lead to other negative consequences, such as removing beneficial nutrients from the food supply while inadvertently increasing another. 

The FDA stated it “is committed to a science-driven, transparent, and inclusive process that will include active stakeholder engagement and public sharing of data and information.” This iterative plan will be updated as new data, information, and resources become available. 

If you’re interested in maintaining your family’s health and detoxifying from harmful, heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, aluminum, and mercury, visit Chelation Health Products now to learn more and shop for Chelation therapy products.