Madison, WI—Today, State Representative David Steffen (R-Howard) and State Senator Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-Fox Crossing) introduced Wisconsin’s Safe Baby Food Act. The proposal requires transparency and disclosure of toxic metals in formula and baby food sold in Wisconsin.
“As a parent, you expect that the formula or food you’re feeding your baby is safe and certainly if it’s not, parents deserve to know. Having an easily accessible way to scan products and find out if they contain dangerous levels of toxins like lead or arsenic empowers consumers to make the safest choices when purchasing these products,” said Rep. Steffen.
In the wake of extensive investigative reporting and Consumer Reports that revealed concerning levels of toxic elements in numerous baby formula and food products, several states have enacted bipartisan laws to protect babies from harmful exposure. Such state laws fill the gap in the absence of adequate federal oversight and action.
Under the bill, baby food and formula sold in Wisconsin will have a QR code on the product label that links directly to information regarding levels of lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium in the product. If a manufacturer doesn’t test for these toxic elements, the QR code on the product must go directly to a webpage disclosing that the product hasn’t been tested for these toxic heavy metals.
“There is no reason our most vulnerable should be ingesting toxins,” said Sen. Cabral-Guevara. “We need to make sure consumers not only are informed about these potentially dangerous
ingredients, but that they also use that information to make educated decisions.”
Information available to consumers via the product QR code must be easily accessible to ensure maximum transparency and disclosure of information regarding toxic elements.
The proposal is currently circulating for co-sponsorship support.
For more information contact the office of Rep. Steffen at 608-237-9104 or Sen. Cabral-Guevara at 608-266-0718.
