Lead Tainted Ginger Candy put Children at Risk

In a lawsuit the California attorney general accused Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and ten other 

California grocery stores of selling ginger and plum candies with dangerously high levels of lead.

While Lynda Gledhill, the attorney general's press secretary, said the lead levels were sporadic — "meaning it wasn't something that was naturally occurring" — the nature of this case poses a great threat, because pregnant women often enjoy ginger candy during their pregnancy and children are, no doubt, notorious candy eaters.

California's Proposition 65 states: Businesses must tell consumers of harmful toxins found in food, toys, jewelry, and other products — a disclosure that the suit argues never happened.

Santa Cruz Sentinel reports, the retailers have been notified of the lawsuit, and the state is expecting a response in June.

Lead poisoning occurs from a gradual buildup of lead in the body. In children under the age of six are especially at risk there brains are underdeveloped.

Pregnant women's exposure to lead can also put the fetus at risk. Lead can travels into the woman's bloodstream and enters the fetus' bones through the placenta. Then it will accumulate in the developing organs. As the lead builds up in the fetus' brain, developmental problems become more likely later in life.

Pregnant women who have been exposed to lead should contact their doctor. Sadly there is no universally established treatment for women who already exhibit elevated lead levels.

However, there are numerous preventative measures women can take to make sure their pregnancy remains healthy and lead-free, such as regularly hand washing, using cold tap water (to minimize the risk of older pipes, where lead can stay stagnant in warm water), and getting regular prenatal check-ups to ensure the health of both the baby and the mother.

Trader Joe's has not pulled the Uncrystallized Candied Ginger named in the lawsuit from its shelves. Whole Foods is investigating and the company said customers who purchased the candy can return it for a full refund, spokeswoman Jennifer Marples confirmed.

If the manufacturers fail to remove or reduce the lead levels, they will be required to print a cautionary label on the candy's packaging or remove the product altogether.

Here is a full list of companies plus the brands of candy that were named in the lawsuit:

·         99 Ranch Market: Red Lantern Plum Candy, Sliced Sweet Ginger, Sweet and Sour Prune, Sweet Fruit Dried Plum, Dried Plum, Dried Seedless Plum, Kan Rose Plum, Preserved Plum

·         Food Market: The Ginger People Baker's Cut Crystallized Ginger Chips

·         Island Pacific Supermarket: Dried Salted Prune

·         JFC International: Dynasty Sugar Ginger

·         Kam Lee Yuen: Ginger Candy, Plum Candy, Red Plum Candy

·         Lion Supermarket: Sweet Fruit Ginger, Seedless Plum, Sweet Fruit Sweet Plum, Sweet Fruit Dried Plum

·         Marina Food: Sweet Fruit Ginger, Sweet Fruit Licorice Lemon Ginger

·         Reed's: Reed's Crystallized Ginger

·         Target: Archer Farms Crystallized Ginger

·         Trader Joe's: Uncrystallized Candied Ginger

·         Whole Foods Market: The Ginger People Baker's Cut Crystallized Ginger Chips, Whole Foods Bulk Ginger