產(chǎn)品檢測(cè)機(jī)構(gòu)消費(fèi)者報(bào)告（Consumer Reports）警告稱，在它檢驗(yàn)的嬰兒食品中，三分之二的產(chǎn)品含有數(shù)量“令人不安”的鉛、水銀等重金屬。

該機(jī)構(gòu)對(duì)美國(guó)50款嬰幼兒包裝食品的鎘、鉛、水銀以及無(wú)機(jī)砷含量進(jìn)行了檢測(cè)。重金屬對(duì)人體有害，吃含有重金屬的食品或暴露在相關(guān)環(huán)境中會(huì)造成重金屬逐漸在人體內(nèi)積累。這些物質(zhì)可導(dǎo)致癌癥、神經(jīng)疾病、糖尿病、生殖以及心血管疾病。

嬰兒食品是一樁大生意——2015年的價(jià)值約為530億美元，有人預(yù)計(jì)到2021年這個(gè)數(shù)字將達(dá)到760億美元。

對(duì)嬰兒食品的監(jiān)督也越發(fā)嚴(yán)格。去年，另一家獨(dú)立私營(yíng)食品認(rèn)證機(jī)構(gòu)稱其檢驗(yàn)的530款嬰兒配方奶粉中，80%的產(chǎn)品含有污染物。

該認(rèn)證機(jī)構(gòu)的研究以及消費(fèi)者報(bào)告的最新檢測(cè)結(jié)果均表明，大米制成的食品更有可能含有較多的砷，而且其中一些產(chǎn)品的鉛、鎘含量也很高。這三種物質(zhì)以及檢驗(yàn)針對(duì)的其他金屬在自然界中形成，可在植物生長(zhǎng)過(guò)程中被植物吸收。但人類活動(dòng)，包括噴灑殺蟲(chóng)劑、采礦和使用含鉛汽油會(huì)使環(huán)境受到更嚴(yán)重的污染，從而讓我們的食品變得更“毒”。

消費(fèi)者報(bào)告稱，它發(fā)現(xiàn)比納（Beech-Nut）經(jīng)典紅薯泥、愛(ài)思貝（Earth’s Best Organic）紅薯泥以及嘉寶（Gerber）火雞肉泥的含鉛量“讓人擔(dān)心”。該機(jī)構(gòu)在加州購(gòu)買了這些產(chǎn)品，數(shù)量均為一份。加州對(duì)食品含鉛量有自己的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，而消費(fèi)者報(bào)告表示它相信其檢測(cè)結(jié)果已經(jīng)超標(biāo)。美國(guó)聯(lián)邦政府沒(méi)有對(duì)嬰兒食品中的重金屬含量做出過(guò)規(guī)定。

好消息是，消費(fèi)者報(bào)告發(fā)現(xiàn)在其檢測(cè)的50款食品中，16款產(chǎn)品的重金屬含量勉強(qiáng)能令人接受。該機(jī)構(gòu)食品安全研究及檢測(cè)部門負(fù)責(zé)人詹姆斯·羅杰斯說(shuō)：“我們檢測(cè)的每一類食品都屬于風(fēng)險(xiǎn)較低的組別。這說(shuō)明制造商有辦法顯著降低這些金屬在其產(chǎn)品中的含量，或者予以清除?！?

對(duì)此，美國(guó)食品與藥品管理局（FDA）告訴消費(fèi)者報(bào)告，該局將確立蘋果汁和嬰兒米粉中無(wú)機(jī)砷含量的指導(dǎo)性標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，同時(shí)將發(fā)起消費(fèi)者教育活動(dòng)并考慮對(duì)制造商施壓，以促使后者降低食品中的重金屬含量。

《消費(fèi)者報(bào)告》的檢測(cè)還發(fā)現(xiàn)，有機(jī)食品和非有機(jī)食品并無(wú)不同。

比納在一份聲明中表示：“特別要指出的是，鉛的困難之處在于它自然形成而且在土壤中分布廣泛。”

該公司還稱：“我們期待有機(jī)會(huì)跟FDA合作，進(jìn)而在科學(xué)基礎(chǔ)上為食品行業(yè)中的企業(yè)制定可執(zhí)行的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)?！?

對(duì)《財(cái)富》雜志提出的問(wèn)題，愛(ài)思貝母公司海恩時(shí)富（Hain Celestial）以及嘉寶尚未做出回應(yīng)。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：Charlie

審校：夏林

Two-thirds of baby foods tested by Consumer Reports (CR) had “worrisome” levels of a heavy metal such as lead or mercury, the product-testing organization has warned.

CR tested for cadmium, lead, mercury, and inorganic arsenic in 50 packaged foods for babies and toddlers in the U.S. Heavy metals are toxic to the human body and accumulate over time when people eat food containing them, and through environmental exposure. The substances can contribute to cancers, neurological diseases, diabetes, reproductive issues, and cardiovascular disease.

Baby food is big business: it was worth around $53 billion in 2015 and one projection puts it at $76 billion by 2021.

It is also the subject of increasing scrutiny. A separate private food certification organization reported last year that 80% of the 530 infant formulas it tested contained contaminants.

Both that study and the new CR report found that foods containing rice were likelier to contain high levels of arsenic, and some also had elevated lead and cadmium levels. These and the other tested-for metals occur naturally in the environment and can be absorbed by plants as they grow. But human activities, including pesticide application, mining and the use of leaded gasoline, can pollute the environment with higher levels, making our food more poisonous.

The CR report found what it called “concerning” levels of lead in Beech-Nut Classics Sweet Potatoes, Earth’s Best Organic Sweet Potatoes, and Gerber Turkey & Rice. CR purchased one sample of each of those products in California, which has its own limit on lead levels, and it said it believed the levels it found violated those limits. There are currently no federally mandated limits for heavy metals in baby food.

On a positive note, the CR report found 16 of the 50 foods it tested had “l(fā)ess concerning” levels of heavy metals. James Rogers, director of food safety research and testing at CR, said: “Every category of food we tested was represented in that lower-risk group. That indicates that there are ways for manufacturers to significantly reduce or eliminate these metals from their products.”

In response, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told CR it would finalize guidelines limiting inorganic arsenic in apple juice and infant rice cereal, and that it would conduct a consumer education campaign and consider pressuring manufacturers to reduce heavy metal levels.

The study also found that organic foods did not differ from non-organic ones.

Beech-Nut issued a statement noting that “the difficulty with lead, in particular, is that it is naturally occurring and widely present in soil,.”

“We would welcome the opportunity to work with the FDA on science-based standards that food suppliers can implement across our industry,” the company added.

Hain Celestial (which owns Earth’s Best Organic) and Gerber have not yet replied to questions from Fortune.