The War on Children’s Health

The answers to the question “why do children get sick?” persistently show a number of manufactured problems that point to a war on the wellbeing and health of children. From poisonous cough syrups, to talc infused baby powder and even undisclosed amounts of sugar and metals in baby food – there generously is a problem. For instance, at least 52 toddlers from 25 states across the nation have suffered adverse events linked to recalled cinnamon apple puree and applesauce contaminated with lead!
The reports of adverse events involve children as young as less than 1 year old and as old as 4 years of age. This has lead to the recall of applesauce products from three brands, namely: WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, Schnucks-brand cinnamon-flavoured applesauce pouches and variety pack, and Weis-brand cinnamon applesauce pouches – all linked to the lead contamination. On the supermarket shelves, we find hundreds of varieties of baby food, ranging from purees, sauces, cereals, and fruit and vegetable snacks. Furthermore, Nestle came under the spotlight for undisclosed sugar amounts – both issues pointing to a serious concern over what babies consume. We ought to address this today in light of the war on children’s health.
UNDISCLOSED SUGAR LEVELS IN BABY FOOD
This brings us to our main discussion. Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organisation, sent samples of Nestlé baby-food products sold in Asia, Africa and Latin America to a Belgian laboratory for testing. The laboratory found in many cases that baby formula with no added sugar sold in Switzerland, Germany, France and the UK contained unhealthy levels of sugar when sold in countries such as the Philippines, South Africa and Thailand. As the Public Eye investigation revealed, one example of this is Nestlé’s biscuit-flavoured cereals for babies aged six months and older: in Senegal and South Africa they contain 6g of added sugar. In Switzerland, where Nestlé is based, the same product has none.
Furthermore, in South Africa, Nestlé promotes its wheat cereal Cerelac as a source of 12 essential vitamins and minerals under the theme “little bodies need big support”. Yet all Cerelac products sold in this country contain high levels of added sugar. Meanwhile, however, obesity has increasingly become a problem in a number of low- and middle-income countries. In Africa, the number of overweight children under five has increased by nearly 23% since 2000. And yet, children shouldn’t eat any added sugar before they turn two. Studies even show that adding sugar to any food for babies or small children predisposes them to having a sweet tooth.
They start preferring sweet things, which is harmful in their diets throughout their lives. In addition, unnecessary sugar contributes to obesity, which has major health effects such as diabetes, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases, cancer and joint problems among others. And, these extra sugars, fats and salt are harmful to our health throughout our lifetime, but especially to babies as they are still building their bodies.
THE PROBLEM IS INFLUENCED BY MNCs THAT INFLUENCE PUBLIC POLICY
Therefore, given these revelations about the health issues contributed by these foods, we ought to ask why they are sold. Well, it appears that it comes back to corporate green: essentially, mu
lti-national corporations are shaping public policy to their benefit. More specifically, companies commonly influence public health through lobbying and party donations. This gives politicians and political parties an incentive to align decisions with commercial agendas.
Low- and middle-income countries often have to address potential trade-offs: potential economic growth from an expanding commercial base and potential harms from the same commercial forces. Research into how South African food companies, particularly large transnationals, go about shaping public health policy in their favour found 107 examples of food industry practices designed to influence public health policy. In many cases companies promise financial support in areas such as funding research. For instance, in 2023 a South African food security research centre attached to a university signed a memorandum of understanding with Nestlé signalling their intent to “forge a transformative partnership” to shape “the future of food and nutrition research and education” and transform “Africa’s food systems”.
And in contrast to the memorandums of understanding with less developed nations, most developed nations have clear guidelines about baby foods. One example is the EU directive on processed cereal-based foods and baby foods for infants and young children. Another is the Swiss Nutrition Policy, which sets out clear guidelines on healthy eating and advertising aimed at children. And this is perhaps what most leaders in Africa, South America and Asia need to move towards – second to producing their own foods and products, because clearly, companies like Nestle lie about what is in their products! This is especially considering that the countries in these regions need to stop importing basic necessities in general.
LEAD-CONTAMINATED FRUIT POUCHES POISON DOZENS OF CHILDREN
We also have to address the issue with metals in baby food. Essentially, over time, experts have discovered concerning amounts of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic in these products. While this is one news headline, it is a fraction of a broader issue. More specifically, a study conducted by the Healthy Babies, Bright Futures association found that 94% of baby foods and homemade purees made from raw ingredients contained detectable amounts of heavy metals. Lead was found in 90% of baby foods, arsenic in 68%, and cadmium in 65% of baby products. EVEN MORE CONCERNINGLY, in most cases, these levels of heavy metals fall within the legal limits! However, the obvious problem with these limits is that if infants consume contaminated products frequently and in large quantities (which is often a high probability), they may face health issues. And so, what we are seeing is not an unfortunate case of negligent contamination, we are seeing deliberate efforts at normalising so-called baby foods that pose a great risk to the health of children.
Let’s further look into the aforementioned case involving the three brands and their respective applesauce products. The initial safety alert was prompted by reports of four children in North Carolina with elevated blood lead levels, indicating potential acute lead toxicity. Those children fell ill after reported exposure to apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches manufactured in Ecuador and sold under WanaBana brands. On October 31, WanaBana launched a voluntary recall of all WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches. On November 9, the Florida-based beverage company expanded its recall effort to include all Schnucks- and Weis-branded cinnamon applesauce pouches. However, WanaBana pouches have been sold nationwide by grocery chains such as Dollar Tree, as well as online retailers such as Amazon, according to the FDA. Schnucks pouches and variety packs are sold at Schnucks and Eatwell Markets grocery stores. Weis pouches are sold at Weis grocery stores.
Now, most children have no obvious immediate symptoms of lead exposure, although short-term exposure could result in symptoms such as headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, and anaemia. Longer-term exposure could result in additional symptoms, including irritability, lethargy, fatigue, muscle aches or muscle prickling, occasional abdominal discomfort, constipation, difficulty concentrating or muscular exhaustion, headache, tremors, and weight loss. And although children with lead exposure don’t usually experience acute symptoms, even low levels of lead have been associated with learning, behavioural, and cognitive deficits. Meanwhile, high blood lead levels in adults can increase their risk for high blood pressure, other cardiovascular effects, kidney problems, adverse reproductive outcomes, and gout.
HEAVY METALS ARE CONCERNINGLY FOUND IN A LOT FOODS
The Food and Drug Administration’s new plan to keep high levels of lead out of baby foods like mashed sweet potatoes, apple sauce and dry cereal is part of a larger effort to eliminate heavy metals from the foods the youngest children eat. The push follows years of studies by public health, consumer and government experts revealing concerning levels of arsenic in rice cereal and other items fed to infants, including big-name brands like Gerber and organic staples like Earth’s Best. And so, considering that this has long been an issue, it does require that we ask the question: How Do Heavy Metals Like Lead Get in Baby Food? First, it appears that the problem begins at the farm where plants draw toxins from the soil.
This is to say that the problem is not confined to baby-food factories. Metals like cadmium and mercury often get into crops as the plants burrow into the ground, drawing in nutrients from contaminated soil. And os, perhaps, the more all-encompassing question to ask is: How do heavy metals get into foods in the first place? In this respect, one of the responses given is that “rain washes pollutants from factories, landfills, animal feedlots or from roadway auto emissions into lakes, rivers and streams. These pollutants can travel through groundwater or irrigation streams and contaminate crops or soil, according to Laurie Beyranevand, director of the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law and Graduate School. Some of the metals occur naturally in the soil. Others can get added by certain fertilisers and insecticides, said Arthur Villordon, a professor at Louisiana State University who specialises in sweet potato farming.
HOW DO HEAVY METALS LIKE LEAD GET IN BABY FOOD?
But then, how do these heavy metals, like lead, get in baby food SPECIFICALLY? Beyond contamination because of absorption from the soil, heavy metals can also find their way into baby food through additives like fortified vitamin mixes. Irrespective of legal limits that make certain amounts of heavy-metal contaminated baby foods acceptable to sell, this is a serious health concern for babies. For one, heavy metals are not healthy for adults, but they are particularly bad for babies. Infants and toddlers grow rapidly, developing key body systems and laying the foundation for lifelong cardiovascular, immune and brain health. Because they are far smaller than adults, a small dose of any toxin can be harmful. Secondly, babies may also be less efficient at metabolising toxins than adults. Small amounts of lead, for instance, have been found to affect behaviour, IQ and academic achievement.
WHY AREN’T THE FOODS TESTED BEFORE THEY GET ON THE MARKET?
So, why aren’t the foods tested BEFORE they get on the market? Well, while some food companies monitor toxin levels, they are not required to report the results to the public or to list them on product labels! The FDA has broad mandates that food makers ensure their products are safe, but there are few actual limits for specific toxins. The FDA has set an “action limit” for inorganic arsenic in rice cereal marketed for babies and has proposed one for lead in juice. However, these limits — like those proposed for lead in baby food — do not set a strict bar. Rather, they create guidelines for food makers to VOLUNTARILY follow. And so, only if the FDA finds that a company exceeds the levels, it can pursue enforcement action, which can lead to a product recall, seizure or a recommendation for criminal prosecution. Of course the obvious problem with this is that it relies on the FDA making these findings, which is a genuine concern considering that the FDA itself is guilty of hiding information and reports!
WE OUGHT TO CREATE BETTER ACCOUNTABILITY
But, companies also have a role to play. For instance, companies need to review soil content data to buy produce for their baby food from regions with lower levels of contamination. Companies also need to conduct testing before entering into contracts with farmers as well as test finished products to ensure that metals aren’t added during processing. But in addition to this (because we can not rely on companies alone), we need to use formal legal processes to ensure that stricter regulations on the presence of heavy metals are enforced. First, the legal amount of heavy metals needs to be significant reduced (even to an untraceable amount) considering that infants and toddlers are less efficient at metabolising toxins than adults. Secondly, AND VERY SENSIBLE: food companies must be mandated to monitor toxin levels, and ALSO be required to report the results to the public AND to list them on product labels!