One of the nation’s largest supermarket chains has voluntarily recalled pouches of baby food sold in its stores after routine testing found it may be contaminated with lead, according to the company.
In a May 9 statement, the supermarket chain, Publix, said that a batch of GreenWise Pear, Kiwi, Spinach & Pea Baby Food it was selling had “the potential to be contaminated with elevated levels of lead.”
“As part of our commitment to food safety, potentially impacted products have been removed from all store shelves,” Maria Brous, a Publix representative, said in a statement, adding that no illness had been reported.
Publix said the recall was “initiated as a result of routine sampling,” though it was unclear who did the sampling. The maker of the product, Bowman Andros, could not be reached for comment on Sunday. The Food and Drug Administration was notified of the recall.
Publix, which operates about 1,400 stores in eight states, did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
The company did not disclose how many units were affected or whether the recalled product was distributed across all of its stores.
The F.D.A. maintains a public database that tracks recalls and safety alerts but it did not have additional information about this recall.
Lead exposure can be especially harmful to infants and young children, potentially leading to developmental delays and other long-term health effects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Lead is extremely harmful to children younger than 6 years, and no safe blood lead level has been identified,” according to the C.D.C. website.
This is the second recall in recent months involving baby food and possible lead contamination.
In March, Target voluntarily pulled its Good & Gather Baby Pea, Zucchini, Kale & Thyme Vegetable Purée from stores over concerns about elevated lead levels. That recall involved about 25,600 units.
“We require our suppliers to comply with all applicable food safety standards and federal, state and local regulations,” a Target representative said in a statement. “This recall involved a limited amount of product, which we took immediate action to remove from our shelves.”
Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, said on Sunday that awareness of the issue of lead in children’s food had grown in recent years as testing had expanded and cases nationwide increased.
He noted that no amount of lead exposure was considered safe for children.
“I hope these two incidents are an indicator that the industry is doing a lot more testing in this area than what they were doing before,” Mr. Ronholm said.
Mark Walker is an investigative reporter focused on transportation. He is based in Washington.
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