From Slate Magazine · Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz · · 2m
That scary kids' snack report, read properly
An epidemiologist reads the Consumer Reports snack investigation and finds the numbers say something close to the opposite.
In brief
An epidemiologist reads the Consumer Reports snack investigation and finds the numbers say something close to the opposite. The chemicals Consumer Reports found in kids' snacks sit far below levels linked to actual harm, so the snacks are fine. Spend the worry on adding vegetables instead. Originally reported by Slate…
One more thing to worry about
Parents already juggle preschool, birthday budgets and picky eaters. A new Consumer Reports investigation adds a fresh fear: dangerous contaminants hiding in packaged kids' snacks.
The labels oversell the danger
The bright orange warning flags next to common snacks look alarming. The underlying data is far tamer. Fish-shaped crackers are not hurting anyone.
“They aren't super healthy, but they are not going to hurt you.”
What CR actually tested
The team bought lunchbox staples, from Takis to oat bars, and screened them for chemicals it calls contaminants. It runs these tests regularly, often on heavy metals.
Risk, blown out of proportion
The recurring problem is framing. At the amounts CR reports finding, the risks from most of these chemicals are routinely overstated.
“The risks posed by most of the chemicals that they look at, in the amounts they report finding, are often blown wildly out of proportion.”
Acrylamide sounds terrifying
It topped the list of contaminants found. The report notes it is a neurotoxin and carcinogen in animal studies, and that industry uses it to make paper and plastics.
“In animal studies, acrylamide has been shown to be a neurotoxin that can also cause cancer.”
It's just cooked starch
Heat starchy food and acrylamide forms on its own, no additives needed. At dietary levels there is no evidence it causes cancer or other health problems.
“As an epidemiologist, I simply would not be worried about my kids eating acrylamide.”
The Takis math
Glycidyl esters in Takis Fuego came to roughly 3.42 micrograms per 28 gram serving, two to three times the EU threshold. That threshold sits 1,000 times below the level of real concern.
Nanograms and trace metals
Three products carried phthalates, measured in nanograms. Heavy metals showed up widely but at barely detectable amounts that pose no threat to health.
“Heavy metals in very small quantities can be fine in food.”
Exceeding a limit isn't harm
Conservative limits exist to leave a wide margin. Crossing one by a factor of two or three is nowhere near the dose where anyone has shown an effect.
Cut up carrots instead
Testing food for contaminants is worth doing, and this round says these snacks are safe. The time spent fretting is better spent adding veggies to the lunchbox.
“The take-home message for me from reading the CR report is actually that these popular snack foods are safe.”
The bottom line
The chemicals Consumer Reports found in kids' snacks sit far below levels linked to actual harm, so the snacks are fine. Spend the worry on adding vegetables instead.
