Read the full article by Garret Ellison (MLive)
“Bumble Bee Foods LLC issued a voluntary recall of smoked clams this week after high levels of toxic PFAS chemicals were found in cans imported from China.
The recall only applies to 3.75-ounce cans of Bumble Bee Smoked Clams with the UPC Label 8660075234, which can be found under the bar code on the back of the package.
According to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit advocacy group which tracks PFAS policy and regulations, the recall was sparked by federal testing, which found high PFAS levels in some retail seafood this year and last.
According to U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) testing data, smoked clams from China packaged in cottonseed oil tested at 20,133 parts-per-trillion (ppt) for the compound PFOA and 1,235-ppt for PFOS.
The FDA testing data does not link test results with brand names or product codes. Every sample originating from China had elevated PFAS levels, according to the data.
According to product packaging, the recalled Bumble Bee product is smoked baby claims in cottonseed oil.
PFAS levels in clams are ‘likely a health concern,’ the FDA said.
The FDA has not developed an official safe level for PFOS or PFOA in food, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last month concluded the safe level for PFOS and PFOA in drinking water was, respectively, 0.020-ppt and 0.004-ppt – which is lower than what labs can even detect.
‘Toxic PFAS can bioaccumulate in mollusks like canned clams, as well as in other seafood people eat, such as fish,’ said David Andrews, EWG senior scientist. ‘Thousands of companies discharge their PFAS wastes into rivers, lakes and bays, where seafood can become contaminated.'” …
“The FDA testing data does not link test results with brand names or product codes. Every sample originating from China had elevated PFAS levels, according to the data.”
I strongly feel that the FDA has a responsibility to protect the public by revealing the brand names and product codes, and has no responsibility to protect the brands. FDA appears to have their priorities reversed.
Consumer Reports suggests that there is another brand of canned clams from China that performed poorly in these PFAS tests, but FDA has not revealed that brand name. Whom do they serve?