A New Ban and A New Recall: Japanese Food and Lead-Flavored Bubble Gum

Food imports from Japan:

The FDA just recently banned the U.S. from importing fresh food from areas of Japan that have been contaminated by nuclear radiation. These prefectures are Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Gunma. The particular foods banned: all milk and milk products and all fresh produce.

The FDA’s move, actually called an “import alert” rather than a ban,  has a 180-day limit. The FDA has claimed that generally these products pose no risks, but the action was taken in response to fears of the public.  In addition,  according to an FDA spokesperson, the agency “will continue to flag all entries from Japan in order to determine whether they originated from the affected area.  FDA will test all food and feed shipments from the affected area.”

China, Singapore, and other Asian countries have halted some imported foods from areas of Japan affected by radiation, as have Australia, Canada, and Russia.  In Singapore, low levels of radioactivity were discovered in four vegetable samples imported from Japan: parsley, rapeseed, mustard, and perilla. 

Toxic Waste® Short Circuits™ Bubble Gum:

The colorful drawing on the package would attract most kids.  But the product inside is literally laced with toxic waste. In late March, Candy Dynamics recalled its Toxic Waste bubble gum because of elevated levels of lead.  This recalled product, imported from Pakistan, was distributed throughout the U.S. in retail stores and through mail orders.  The company will continue to sell Short Circuits™  bubble gum in the U.S.  For more information about this recall, click here.

The affected gum, sold in 3.2 oz. packages, contained almost twice the FDA limit for lead in candy.

If  this particular recall has a somewhat familiar ring to you, it’s because, in January,  our site covered the same company’s recall of its Toxic Waste® Nuclear Sludge™ Chew Bars.  Then, too, elevated levels of lead was the problem.  For  this site’s reporting on the chew bar recall, click here.

If this information makes you scour your kids’ bedrooms looking for delicious Toxic Waste® products to discard, well, good.

Source(s): 

BBC News  Business “Japanese imported vegetables in Singapore ‘radioactive’”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12834153

New York Post “FDA to temporarily ban foods imported from Japan amidst radiation fears”
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/radioactive_materials_detected_nuclear_pHw1UZ8jCo4bvLeto28dPO  

voanews “Ban Grows on Japanese Food Imports”
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/east-pacific/Ban-Grows-on-Japanese-Food-Imports-118687739.html

NPR “Lead in ‘Toxic Waste Short Circuits Bubble Gum’ Prompts Recall”
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/03/28/134924892/lead-in-toxic-waste-short-circuits-bubble-gum-prompts-recall?ft=1&f=1001

FDA Candy Dynamic Recalls Toxic Waste Short Circuits Bubble Gum
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm248548.htm