Brands of ‘healthy’ chips are found to contain toxic levels of lead

Two ‘healthy’ brands of chips aimed at children contain dangerous levels of a toxic heavy metal that can make them ill, a report has revealed.

The watchdog Consumer Reports found that veggie puffs made by Lesser Evil and Serenity Kids contained ‘concerning’ amounts of lead, which is linked to lower IQ’s, ADHD and even autism.

The FDA have stated there is no safe level of lead for children, whose brains are still developing.

The chips are made with cassava, a potato-like root vegetable, which may have accumulated lead from contaminated soil during the mining and farming process, the report said.

Processing cassava into flour to make into snacks can ‘potentially concentrate the lead more than eating it fresh,’ the report said, potentially because the vegetable comes into contact with metal equipment. 

Worrying amounts of lead were detected in both Lesser Evil puff products tested and one from Serenity Kids, the report found.

Both brands can be bought across America from stores like Amazon, Whole Foods and Target. Lesser Evil can also be found at Walmart and CVS.

Lesser Evil’s Lil’ Puffs Intergalactic Voyager Veggie Blends puffs had 112 percent of California‘s maximum allowable dose level of lead, the most protective standards available in the US.

The puffs had more lead per serving than any of the 80 baby foods the advocacy group has tested since 2017.

Lesser Evil’s Lil’ Puffs Sweet Potato Apple Asteroid and Serenity Kids’ Tomato & Herb Bone Broth puffs also showed high lead levels, with a serving of the Lesser Evil one containing 60 percent of the maximum allowable dose level and the Serenity Kids’ product containing 53 percent. 

The snacks may be viewed as a healthier option than sugar-laden treats and as a way for kids to get their vegetables.

On the hand hand, very low levels of lead were found in products made with sorghum, a gluten-free grain, which Consumer Reports said was a good thing.

‘Clearly, some manufacturers need to do a better job of keeping heavy metals out of their snack foods, and there may be some particular concerns about foods made with cassava,’ said James Rogers, head of food safety testing at Consumer Reports.

Some studies have demonstrated cassava and other vegetables like sweet potatoes can have high lead levels.

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The metal naturally occurs in the social or can be deposited there through pollution, which builds up in plant’s roots. 

Lead is well-known to be dangerous to humans, causing memory loss, abdominal pain and low mood in adults after long-term exposure.

For children, the heavy metal can damage their brains and central nervous systems leading to learning and behavior problems.

Mother-of-two Macarena Rizzo, who has fed veggie puffs to her 15-month-old daughter, told CBS News she was ‘very disappointed’ about the Consumer Reports findings.

‘I thought that I was making a good choice or like a smart choice, and seems like it’s not,’ she said.

Mr Rogers said parents do not need to panic, but should be aware that over time, levels of lead can build up in children and increase the risk of developmental issues such as a lower IQ, ADHD and autism.

Lead is a powerful neurotoxin that can accumulate in a child’s bloodstream, settling into the bones, teeth and soft tissues and building up in the body – damaging organs and affecting the central nervous system.

Both Lesser Evil and Serenity Kids justified the results by saying that heavy metals including lead occur naturally in the environment, which means it is ‘virtually impossible’ to avoid.