By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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TUESDAY, May 20, 2025 (HealthDay News) \u2014 Publix is recalling one of its popular GreenWise baby food pouches because it may contain lead, the company said<\/a> this week.<\/p>\n The recalled product is the Pear, Kiwi, Spinach & Pea Baby Food pouch.<\/p>\n The supermarket chain said it found the issue through routine testing and pulled the pouches off store shelves, NBC News <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n \u201cTo date, there have been no reported cases of illness,” the company’s news release said.<\/p>\n This is the second baby food recall for possible lead contamination in recent weeks.<\/p>\n In March, Target recalled its Good & Gather Baby Pea, Zucchini, Kale & Thyme puree, NBC <\/em>said. In both cases, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not issue a public warning.<\/p>\n Safety experts say the FDA usually alerts the public when there is a serious health risk. Last year, the agency issued news releases for several lead-related cinnamon recalls.<\/p>\n Sarah Sorscher<\/a>, director of regulatory affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, called the lack of warning “concerning.”<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no safe level of lead,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Lead exposure in babies and young kids can cause brain damage, slow development and behavior problems, according to the FDA<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sorscher said FDA alerts increase “the attention that stores and consumers give it, so that [a product is] more likely to be pulled off the shelf.”<\/p>\n Lead can enter baby food during processing or from contaminated soil used to grow fruits and vegetables, NBC News <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n In early 2024, the FDA set voluntary limits for lead in baby food for the first time. Experts say this spurred more testing and product recalls.<\/p>\n \u201cIndustry is taking that guidance to heart and being more proactive,\u201d Jennifer van de Ligt<\/a>, a former FDA baby food expert who was recently laid off, told NBC News.<\/em><\/p>\n The Trump administration also announced a new food safety program called Operation Stork Speed<\/a>. It says the plan will include \u201cincreasing testing for heavy metals and other contaminants in infant formula and other foods children consume.\u201c<\/p>\n But food safety advocates and former staff say budget cuts and staff layoffs could be hurting efforts to protect children.<\/p>\n In April, the FDA closed a lab that tested food for heavy metals but that decision was later reversed, NBC News <\/em>said. The agency also cut communication and public records staff, which delayed some food safety updates, sources said.<\/p>\n At the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), experts working on lead poisoning prevention were let go, and a leaked budget draft showed plans to eliminate that program.<\/p>\n A CDC spokesperson said the agency’s reorganization was still underway but that its work would continue, NBC News <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is what they\u2019re saying they want to do to clean up the food supply, and what they\u2019re actually doing,\u201d Sorcher said.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n The World Health Organization (WHO) has more on lead poisoning<\/a>.<\/p>\n