Cadmium a New Worry for Vegetable and Fruit Growers
According to Gordon Johnson Vegetable and Fruit Specialist from the University of Delaware the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been recently targeting heavy metals in foods as a health concern. In the article “Heavy Metals a New Worry for Vegetable, Fruit Growers” from the Delmarva Farmer on March 14, 2023. Johnson says in the document “Closer to Zero” FDA’s Toxic Elements Working Group is prioritizing 3 areas concerning heavy metals:
1. Identifying prevalence
2. Identify vulnerable populations such as infants, children, elderly, or compromised individuals
3. Determine ways to reduce exposure
The heavy metal elements listed in “Closer to Zero” are arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg). The heavy metal Cd has been on Growers Mineral, Corp.’s radar screen since meeting Dr. Tom Swarczek in the 1990’s. In the early 2000’s government reports were indicating that Cd was being found in unexpectedly high levels in human tissue. In the past government officials always believed Cd entered human tissue through smoking, but with smoking usage decreasing those same government agencies must now put the blame on food.
According to Johnson the classic entry of Cd into the food chain is through fertilizer. It is well known that the original P sources for fertilizer (rock) have significant volumes of Cd in their composition. So this article concludes the best way to lower Cd in the food chain is to lower the amount of P fertilizer used and to use a P fertilizer that is formulated from P sources with lower Cd volumes. These two recommendations are exactly the approach followed when using GMS. Growers Mineral, Corp. has always used a smaller volume of fertilizer and has used higher grade P sources containing lower Cd concentration since 1955 while using vigorous metal testing procedures since the 1990’s.
An interesting side note to Johnson’s article is the statement that to reduce Cd levels in plant tissue a farmer should: “Reduce chloride additions to soils. Some fertilizers such as potassium chloride (0-0-60) increase Cd availability.”
So now the question is whether Cd regulation is in the near future for fruit and vegetable production for food. The answer to this question may be foreshadowed in another article from www.npr.org on December 30, 2022. This article title is “Hershey’s Faces a Lawsuit Over Heavy Metals in Its Dark Chocolate Bars.”
A quote from this article is very interesting: “The lawsuit is seeking $5 million from Hershey’s calling its advertising and marketing campaign for the dark chocolate bars ‘false, deceptive, and misleading.” The plaintiffs’ lawyers argue that had Hershey’s disclosed on its labeling that those dark chocolate bars contained lead and cadmium, Lazazzaro would not have purchased them.”
It has come to our attention that the cannabis industry is already testing products for heavy metals such as arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd). Could the big box stores start testing fresh food products or even food grains for heavy metals such as Cd? Probably the medical and pharmaceutical industries will or have investigated that answer.
This is an excerpt from the Spring Growers Solution (2024) written by Jim Halbeisen, Growers Director of Research & Education.
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