Do You Know Is Your Food Free from Heavy Metals and is it in Compliance with FDA Requirements for Health Concerns?

Significance of Safe Food for Human Consumption

The latest progression in science and technology has greatly improved the lifestyle but unfortunately, it has happened at the expense of a poor environment, degraded soil, and contaminated agriculture and food production systems. Food is a basic life necessity, and everyone has the right to access safe, high-quality, fresh, and nutritionally rich food as per requirements and personal preferences. Food security and food quality management are top priority concerns for sustainable global protection and development both quantitatively, and qualitatively. Food safety and quality issues are gaining even more attention due to rising concerns associated with the consumption of contaminated and poor-quality food.

Heavy Metals Contamination in the Foods

Industrialization, land-use changes, economic globalization, and several other anthropogenic activities have accelerated the use of certain elements and heavy metals in different sectors. Recently the unexpected use and release of contaminants and heavy metals have raised significant concerns for human health and food security. The rising level of heavy metals and metalloids in vegetables, fruits, and food products is negatively affecting human metabolism and contributing to higher mortality and morbidity rates.

Not all heavy metals are dangerous for the environment, universe, and human beings because some heavy metals have major contributions and diverse roles for human beings and ecological context and management of sustainability and equilibrium of ecosystem functioning. However, the universe, environment, human beings, animals, and ecosystems are all sensitive to the higher concentrations of heavy metals and metalloids. Unfortunately, their concentration is being increased due to the use of synthetic chemicals for agricultural systems, food packaging technologies, industrial activities, land mining, global warming, and climate change.

Some heavy metals are essentially important for human beings as they have a direct role in supporting enzymatic activities, hormonal functioning, cellular growth, and metabolic activities. These heavy metals are only required in trace amounts for normal and effective functioning. However, their excess intake due to consumption of contaminated foods is causing significant health disorders and safety concerns. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Union (EU) and World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations have set certain standards or limits for the presence of heavy metals in human bodies. Therefore, foods must be properly tested to check the level of contaminants and heavy metals before selling, purchasing, and consumption. The FDA is now pursuing a plan to address high levels of heavy metals in baby foods. FDA is planning a new program called “Closer to Zero,” intends to draft maximum levels of lead in baby and toddler food by April 2022, and for arsenic by April 2024.

Health Concerns Due to Consumption of Heavy Metal Contaminated Foods

The presence of heavy metals in the foods causes their accumulation in the consumer bodies and disrupts the functioning of vital glands and organs such as the liver, bones, kidneys, brain, and heart. The accumulation of metalloids also causes displacement of minerals and vital nutrients from their original places and thereby hinders their biological functions. Although heavy metals can also be introduced into the human body by inhaling and skin exposure the presence of heavy metals in the food chain is a major source for their entry into the human body.

Consumption of heavy metal contaminated food can cause nervous system dysfunction, mental disorders, irregular blood flow, and slows the progression of neurological, muscular, and physical processes that may cause Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The most common effects of using heavy metal contaminated foods include renal issues, lungs diseases, prostate cancer, gastric problems, deafness, blindness, Minamata disease, sclerosis, cardiovascular problems, hematological issues, dehydration, lethargy, abdominal pain, vomiting, metabolic abnormalities, gastrointestinal disorders, and abnormal kidney, and liver functioning. While repeated and long-term consumption of heavy metal contaminated food can also damage the reproductive system, hormonal functioning, nucleic acids, and genetic materials. Therefore, the use of safe, and heavy metals-free food must be promoted on a sustainable basis to reduce health concerns and disorders.

Importance of Food Testing for Heavy Metals

Even though, all foods and all geographical areas are not contaminated with the higher levels of heavy metals but testing food products to check heavy metal contents in the foods can greatly minimize the health risks associated with the consumption of metalloid contaminated foods. Numerous food supply chains, food companies, and online sellers are selling contaminants-free and heavy metals-free labeled foods at higher prices. Some of the companies and sellers even have certifications to sell safe and good quality food and therefore many people are paying much higher prices to buy this food than conventional foods. Organic products do not mean they are low in heavy metals. The only way for vendors to ensure their products, fruits and vegetables meet FDA and State heavy metals requirements is by testing their products. However, selecting the right laboratory services is itself challenging due to reliability, reproducibility, and quality concerns of testing services and methods.

Our Services and Technologies

The basic mission of Prime Analytical Laboratories is to provide accurate testing services based on the use of efficient specific technologies, data integrity, high-quality instruments and equipment, validated methods, and the best scientific techniques. We also have compliance with ISO 17025 quality systems and FDA GxP requirements. We are testing food and other samples by using a highly specific and sensitive Thermo Fisher iCAP RQ ICP-MS technique. It is an innovative, efficient, and ideal elemental analyzer for a wide range of food, herbal and natural product samples.

Our testing methods are validated based on the official recommended and applicable methods such as USP and AOAC. Moreover, our testing equipment is also properly validated and calibrated, so we ensure the accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility of the results. Furthermore, our employees are well trained on GMP and have an excellent understanding of testing functions, analytical techniques and result interpretations. Therefore, we can handle multiple samples for testing and can provide real, reproducible, accurate, and comparable results in a short time frame.

We are highly aware of the fact that there are increasing industrial wide demands for cost-effective, reliable, and sensitive testing methods and techniques for high throughput analysis of foods. We are using reliable breakthrough technologies and an unrivaled range of possible solutions for food customers for the detection of heavy metals and metalloids at ppm and sub-ppt levels by using a broader instrumentation portfolio.

Contact Us

We are a team of highly qualified, dedicated, honest, and certified professionals and are greatly intended to provide analytical, chemical, and microbiological testing of foods, food products, wine, tea, herbal products, dietary supplements, and cosmetics.

All our equipment is specifically qualified as per standards of FDA GMP, and USP. Even though Prime Analytical Laboratories (LLC) is located in Concord, CA we are also receiving samples by shipment for the ease of consumers and customers. Customers can contact us at info@primeanalyticallab.com for general inquires and requesting quotes for food sample testing.