Lately, I’ve been noticing more California Proposition 65 warning labels on food items at my local grocery stores and decided to do more research by going directly to its official website.
Key Takeaways:
- If there is a warning label on a product, the business issuing the warning is aware or believes that it is exposing individuals to one or more listed chemicals.
- By California law, a warning must be given for listed chemicals unless the exposure is low enough to pose no significant risk of cancer or is significantly below levels observed to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- The guidelines on safe harbor numbers are determined by The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)
- The entities that enforce Proposition 65 included are: California Attorney General’s Office, any district or city attorney (for cities whose population exceeds 750,000), any individual acting in the public interest such as consumer advocacy groups, private citizens, and law firms
- The penalties can be as high as $2,500 per violation per day in California.
I have a friend who used to be a public health researcher and years ago he stated only around ten percent of the U.S. food supply gets tested. Furthermore, I wish there was more testing and enforcement given the significant amount of food safety concerns lately and large consolidation of food companies.