LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) — Mondelez International Inc., formerly Kraft Foods, will pay $750,000 to resolve allegations it sold ginger snap cookies containing lead in excess of California limits without the warning required by California’s Proposition 65, California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has announced.
“The levels of lead found in Nabisco’s ginger snap cookies posed a serious public health threat, potentially impacting the brain development of our children,” Harris said. “Parents need accurate information to make educated food choices for their children. My office will continue to enforce Proposition 65 to guarantee that all Californians are fully informed when hazardous substances and chemicals can be found in consumer products.”
Mondelez must use strict product sourcing and testing protocols to limit the lead in its Nabisco ginger snap cookies under the settlement. The cookies must contain no more than 30 parts per billion per serving. The company must additionally hire a food quality auditor who will then train personnel. Ongoing independent auditing of its products will also take place to monitor lead levels.
Lead is a neurotoxin that mostly affects the central nervous system. Higher levels of lead can put children with developing brains at a higher risk of suffering the dangerous effects of neurotoxins.