4 ms·

I would expect factories to do batch testing as part of internal quality control. In fact, I know they do, with a lot of products, for a lot of problems. I wo

by Dove 3y ago

I would expect factories to do batch testing as part of internal quality control. In fact, I know they do, with a lot of products, for a lot of problems. I wonder what went wrong here.

perihelions 3y ago
- "I would expect factories to do batch testing as part of internal quality control" They generally do not! - "The lack of regulation leaves much of the monitoring of heavy metal levels to companies. [Consumer Reports] contacted all the ones with products in our tests to see how they limited heavy metals." - "Of the companies that replied to our questions—Al Wadi Al Akhdar, Costco, Bolner’s Fiesta, Gebhardt, Litehouse, McCormick, Roland Foods, Spice Islands, Target, and Whole Foods—a few said they require their suppliers to have a program for controlling or testing for heavy metals. But only three—Al Wadi Al Akhdar, Bolner’s Fiesta, and McCormick—specifically said they test products in their manufacturing plants for heavy metals." https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/your-herbs-and-spices-might-contain-arsenic-cadmium-and-lead-a6246621494/ https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/your-herb...
- Dove 3y ago
  That's good to know! Some high end products I buy will sometimes carry a link to a lab report quantifying the concentration of some critical component in that batch - curcumin in tumeric, for example, or polyphenols in olive oil - or highlighting the lack of such testing. Likewise, some supplements will bend over backwards to prove the purity of the product to consumers. But I guess only the super health nerdy market demands that. I don't imagine a typical consumer even reads the nutrition label. The libertarian in me thinks Consumer Reports is enough for people who care. The liberal in me says if I wasn't health nerdy enough to navigate that hazard, it's a bit much to file under caveat emptor for random toddler mothers. I don't normally support regulation, but this seems like a worthy case.
  - Ekaros 3y ago
    As nanny state European. I think with goods such as baby food at least the possible inputs should be tested like spices used. They are likely getting quite lot of these delivered so testing for most common contaminants doesn't sound unreasonable...

by Dove 3y ago

I would expect factories to do batch testing as part of internal quality control. In fact, I know they do, with a lot of products, for a lot of problems. I wonder what went wrong here.

perihelions 3y ago

- "I would expect factories to do batch testing as part of internal quality control" They generally do not! - "The lack of regulation leaves much of the monitoring of heavy metal levels to companies. [Consumer Reports] contacted all the ones with products in our tests to see how they limited heavy metals." - "Of the companies that replied to our questions—Al Wadi Al Akhdar, Costco, Bolner’s Fiesta, Gebhardt, Litehouse, McCormick, Roland Foods, Spice Islands, Target, and Whole Foods—a few said they require their suppliers to have a program for controlling or testing for heavy metals. But only three—Al Wadi Al Akhdar, Bolner’s Fiesta, and McCormick—specifically said they test products in their manufacturing plants for heavy metals." https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/your-herbs-and-spices-might-contain-arsenic-cadmium-and-lead-a6246621494/ https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/your-herb...

Dove 3y ago
That's good to know! Some high end products I buy will sometimes carry a link to a lab report quantifying the concentration of some critical component in that batch - curcumin in tumeric, for example, or polyphenols in olive oil - or highlighting the lack of such testing. Likewise, some supplements will bend over backwards to prove the purity of the product to consumers. But I guess only the super health nerdy market demands that. I don't imagine a typical consumer even reads the nutrition label. The libertarian in me thinks Consumer Reports is enough for people who care. The liberal in me says if I wasn't health nerdy enough to navigate that hazard, it's a bit much to file under caveat emptor for random toddler mothers. I don't normally support regulation, but this seems like a worthy case.
- Ekaros 3y ago
  As nanny state European. I think with goods such as baby food at least the possible inputs should be tested like spices used. They are likely getting quite lot of these delivered so testing for most common contaminants doesn't sound unreasonable...