Companies must take action for safer food
Sign The Petition
Consumer Reports’ new investigation of foods made from cassava, a root vegetable touted as a gluten- and grain-free option, detected some of the highest lead levels we’ve ever found in our testing. Several of the products contained levels so concerning we recommend that consumers avoid eating them: cassava flour marketed by the brands Bob’s Red Mill, Otto’s Naturals, and Quay Naturals, and a cassava-based pasta made by the company Jovial.
Lead is a neurotoxin. There is no safe level of lead for people to ingest, and the risks are greatest during childhood and pregnancy, since lead can damage the brain and nervous system in young children and developing fetuses. In adults, frequent lead exposure has been linked to immune system suppression, reproductive issues, kidney damage, and hypertension.
Many of the products in our testing demonstrated that it’s possible to produce cassava-based foods with lower levels of lead —showing that some manufacturers do a better job of keeping this heavy metal out. Tell Bob’s Red Mill, Otto’s Naturals, Quay Naturals, and Jovial to improve the safety of their sourcing and processing to bring down lead levels in their cassava products.
Message to Bob’s Red Mill, Otto’s Naturals, Quay Naturals and Jovial:
Recent testing of your cassava-based products by Consumer Reports detected concerning levels of lead that could put consumer health at risk. Lead is a neurotoxin, and there is no safe level of lead for people to ingest. The risks are greatest during childhood and pregnancy, since lead can damage the brain and nervous system in young children and developing fetuses. Several of the other products tested did not contain lead levels as high as those made by your company, showing that it’s possible to produce cassava-based products with lower levels that are less harmful to consumer health.
We call on your company to regularly test your products for lead; identify the sources of the lead in your products, and improve safety in sourcing, processing, and/or packaging; and offer consumers transparency about your plans to bring down lead levels in your cassava products.