Florida Health Officials Find Toxic Arsenic Levels in Candy Brands
00:00
00:00
- A Florida Health Department study found toxic arsenic levels in 28 popular candy brands, raising serious food safety concerns.
- Health officials in Florida detected arsenic contamination in nearly two-thirds of tested candy products, including well-known brands like Hershey’s and Mars. Experts warn that prolonged exposure may raise cancer risks.
- The Florida Health Department’s latest tests revealed that 28 out of 46 candies examined contained high arsenic levels. Brands affected include Nerds, Skittles, and Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Creme. Health experts urge stronger regulations to protect consumers from heavy metal exposure.
The Florida Department of Health has released a new report highlighting the results of heavy metal testing conducted on 46 candy products. The findings revealed alarming levels of arsenic in several popular brands, raising new concerns about food safety.
The department’s tests, conducted last week, covered a range of sweets — from chocolates to chewy candies — including well-known names such as The Hershey Company, Mars, and Tootsie Roll Industries, according to Eating Well on Tuesday (Feb. 3, local time).
Out of the 46 candies tested, the department found that 28 contained toxic levels of arsenic — a contaminant that poses serious health risks to both children and adults.
“Exposure to arsenic above the safe limit can increase the risk of cancer, including lung, skin, kidney, and bladder cancer,” stated the official government website.
Among the brands identified with high arsenic levels were Black Forest Gummy Bears, Laffy Taffy Banana, Nerds Grape, Nerds Strawberry, Nerds Gummy Clusters, SweeTarts Original, SweeTarts Rope, Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers, and Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Creme.
Other contaminated products included Jolly Rancher Hard Candy Sour Apple and Strawberry, Kit Kat, Snickers, Skittles Original, Sour Patch Kids, Dots, Tootsie Fruit Chew Lime, and Smart Sweets Caramel.
Meanwhile, several snacks were reported to have no detectable or unsafe levels of arsenic. These included Black Forest Organic Gummy Bears, Laffy Taffy Cherry, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Whoppers, M&M’s, Twix, Milky Way, Annie’s Organic Bunny Fruit Flavored Snacks Berry Patch, Smart Sweets Red Twists, and all products from Unreal and Yum Earth.
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry under the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), high exposure to arsenic can cause stomach and intestinal irritation, blood vessel damage, skin changes, and reduced nerve function.
Molecular biologist and public health advocate Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, commented that the findings highlight the public’s dependence on government oversight for food safety information.
“As consumers, we have no way of knowing whether heavy metals are present in our food, nor can we assess how serious the problem might be,” Nestle said.
“In this particular case, I would like to know not only how much arsenic is present in these candies, but also how much total arsenic both children and adults are exposed to from other foods — and at what point symptoms of arsenic poisoning begin to appear,” she added.
Indonesianpost.com | Antara
