Publix is recalling one of its popular GreenWise baby food pouches because it may contain lead, the company said this week. The recalled product is the Pear, Kiwi, Spinach & Pea Baby Food pouch. The supermarket chain said it found the issue through routine testing and pulled the pouches off store shelves, NBC News reported. “To date, there have been no reported cases of illness,” the company’s news release said. This is the second baby food recall for possible lead contamination in recent weeks. In March, Target recalled its Good & Gather Baby Pea, Zucchini, Kale & Thyme puree, NBC said. In both cases, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not issue a public warning. Safety experts say the FDA usually alerts the public when there is a serious health risk. Last year, the agency issued news releases for several lead-related cinnamon recalls. Sarah Sorscher, director of regulatory affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, called the lack of warning “concerning.” “There is no safe level of lead,” she said. Lead exposure in babies and young kids can cause brain damage, slow development and behavior problems, according to the FDA. Sorscher said FDA alerts increase “the attention that stores and consumers give it, so that [a product is] more likely to be pulled off the shelf.” Lead can enter baby…  read on >  read on >

Program includes review of existing chemicals, developing final, systematic process for postmarket review  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted full approval to Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine, but only for certain people. The vaccine is now approved for adults ages 65 and older, or for people ages 12 to 64 who have at least one health condition that puts them at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19, The Associated Press reported. Novavax’s shot is the only protein-based COVID vaccine available in the U.S. Until now, it had only been allowed for emergency use in people 12 and up.  Unlike the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, which are approved for anyone 12 and older and authorized for kids as young as 6 months, Novavax will be limited to specific groups. The FDA did not explain why it added these restrictions to Friday’s approval, according to AP.  However, the move aligns with the views of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others in the Trump administration, who have expressed skepticism toward vaccination in the past. In a statement, Novavax CEO John Jacobs said “Market research and U.S. CDC statistics indicate that older individuals and those with underlying conditions are the populations most likely to seek out COVID-19 vaccination seasonally. This significant milestone demonstrates our commitment to these populations and is a significant step towards availability of our protein-based vaccine option.” Novavax had expected full approval…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted full approval to Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine, but only for certain people. The vaccine is now approved for adults ages 65 and older, or for people ages 12 to 64 who have at least one health condition that puts them at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19, the Associated Press reported. Novavax’s shot is the only protein-based COVID vaccine available in the U.S. Until now, it had only been allowed for emergency use in people 12 and up. Unlike the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, which are approved for anyone 12 and older and authorized for kids as young as 6 months, Novavax will be limited to specific groups. The FDA did not explain why it added these restrictions to Friday’s approval, according to the AP. However, the move aligns with the views of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others in the Trump administration, who have expressed skepticism toward vaccination in the past. In a statement, Novavax CEO John Jacobs said “Market research and U.S. CDC statistics indicate that older individuals and those with underlying conditions are the populations most likely to seek out COVID-19 vaccination seasonally. This significant milestone demonstrates our commitment to these populations and is a significant step towards availability of our protein-based vaccine option.” Novavax had expected full…  read on >  read on >

A new report says rice sold in U.S. stores contains toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. The report — released by Healthy Babies, Bright Futures — found arsenic in 100% of rice samples tested from stores in 20 metro areas, including New York City, Los Angeles and Miami, CBS News reported. What’s more, 1 in 4 samples exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) arsenic limit for infant rice cereal, which is 100 parts per billion (ppb).  That rule was set in 2021, but it only applies to rice cereal made for babies — not to the rice that the rest of the family eats. “No such limit exists for rice itself — the bags and boxes of rice served at family meals — despite it being widely consumed by infants and toddlers,” the authors note.  The study tested 145 popular brands of rice, including Trader Joe’s and Ben’s and Goya. On average, total heavy metal levels across the samples ranged from 63 to 188 ppb, with some going as high as 240 ppb, CBS News said.  Arsenic showed up at the highest levels, followed by cadmium. Lead and mercury were found in smaller amounts. Responding to the report, the USA Rice Federation acknowledged consumers’ concerns. “We know that arsenic in food is alarming for many consumers and that you may…  read on >  read on >

A new report says rice sold in U.S. stores contains toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. The report — released by Healthy Babies, Bright Futures — found arsenic in 100% of rice samples tested from stores in 20 metro areas, including New York City, Los Angeles and Miami, CBS News reported. What’s more, 1 in 4 samples exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) arsenic limit for infant rice cereal, which is 100 parts per billion (ppb). That rule was set in 2021, but it only applies to rice cereal made for babies — not to the rice that the rest of the family eats. “No such limit exists for rice itself — the bags and boxes of rice served at family meals — despite it being widely consumed by infants and toddlers,” the authors note. The study tested 145 popular brands of rice, including Trader Joe’s and Ben’s and Goya. On average, total heavy metal levels across the samples ranged from 63 to 188 ppb, with some going as high as 240 ppb, CBS News said. Arsenic showed up at the highest levels, followed by cadmium. Lead and mercury were found in smaller amounts. Responding to the report, the USA Rice Federation acknowledged consumers’ concerns. “We know that arsenic in food is alarming for many consumers and that you may…  read on >  read on >

Agencies say significant progress has already been made; input has been requested from the public  read on >

Children have an increased risk of high blood pressure if their moms suffered from health problems during pregnancy, a new study says. Children had higher blood pressure if their moms had obesity, gestational diabetes or high blood pressure while pregnant, researchers reported May 8 in JAMA Network Open. The presence of just one of these pregnancy risk factors is associated with a more rapid rise in blood pressure between ages 2 and 18, researchers said. “Finding factors that we can address during pregnancy and childhood — and implementing early interventions — may be key to changing the trajectories of health for future generations,” senior researcher Shohreh Farzan, an associate professor of population and public health sciences at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, said in a news release. For the study, researchers analyzed nearly 30 years of data from almost 12,500 mother-child pairs across the United States. Nearly half the mothers (44%) had at least one of three risk factors during pregnancy, results show.  Obesity was the most common, affecting nearly 25% of all moms, while high blood pressure disorders occurred in nearly 14% of moms and gestational diabetes in just under 7%. Results showed that kids born to moms with at least one risk factor had systolic blood pressure that averaged about 4.9 points higher and diastolic 1.9 points higher. Systolic…  read on >  read on >

Children have an increased risk of high blood pressure if their moms suffered from health problems during pregnancy, a new study says. Children had higher blood pressure if their moms had obesity, gestational diabetes or high blood pressure while pregnant, researchers reported May 8 in JAMA Network Open. The presence of just one of these pregnancy risk factors is associated with a more rapid rise in blood pressure between ages 2 and 18, researchers said. “Finding factors that we can address during pregnancy and childhood — and implementing early interventions — may be key to changing the trajectories of health for future generations,” senior researcher Shohreh Farzan, an associate professor of population and public health sciences at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, said in a news release. For the study, researchers analyzed nearly 30 years of data from almost 12,500 mother-child pairs across the United States. Nearly half the mothers (44%) had at least one of three risk factors during pregnancy, results show.  Obesity was the most common, affecting nearly 25% of all moms, while high blood pressure disorders occurred in nearly 14% of moms and gestational diabetes in just under 7%. Results showed that kids born to moms with at least one risk factor had systolic blood pressure that averaged about 4.9 points higher and diastolic 1.9 points higher. Systolic…  read on >  read on >

Women now have a new way to check their risk for cervical cancer — from the comfort of their own home. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Teal Wand, an at-home test that screens for human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes nearly all cervical cancers, CBS News reported May 9.  The test is made by Teal Health and is meant for women between the ages of 25 and 65 with an average risk for cervical cancer. Teal Health says its test is just as accurate as a regular Pap smear done in a doctor’s office. The company ran a study showing that self-collected samples at home worked just as well as those collected by a health care provider. Many women find in-office cervical cancer screenings uncomfortable. The standard method involves inserting a speculum to help collect a sample from the cervix. That, CBS News reported, can make some patients avoid getting tested altogether. In Teal Health’s study, 86% of participants said they’d be more likely to stay up to date with screening if they could do it at home. About 94% said they would choose self-collection if they knew it was just as accurate. Kara Egan, CEO and co-founder of Teal Health, said the goal is to make care easier. “That’s why this FDA approval means so much; it’s not…  read on >  read on >