A Florida report on 46 popular candy products found unacceptable levels of arsenic in 28 of them. The state has taken the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement to heart and is not waiting for the federal government to do all the work of warning citizens about potential dangers. The candy industry dismissed the study as unreliable and defended the products as safely regulated by “data-driven science.” The public wants to know: Are they safe?
Arsenic, Arsenic, Everywhere!
All human food contains trace amounts of arsenic, which can be classified as organic or inorganic. The latter is worse; neither is good. Florida employed approved testing methods and a certified laboratory, but the test did not differentiate between the two types of mercury. Florida officials expressed alarm at the widespread presence of arsenic, which is particularly toxic to developing young children and can increase the risk of cancers of the lung, skin, kidney, and bladder.
Florida went a step further, creating an information sheet that summarized its test results for the various candies tested and translating the amounts considered safe for children and adults into an easy-to-understand chart. This guidance helps citizens make informed decisions when choosing among sweet options and deciding how much of a particular product to allow children to digest.
The candy industry accused the Sunshine State of using scare tactics, and many Americans are already afraid to trust their food supply. The MAHA movement and innumerable citizen groups have been raising alarms about food quality, not to terrify people but to help them make healthier choices. Ultraprocessed foods, particularly those laden with high amounts of sugar, are linked to chronic disease, obesity, heart disease, and cancer.
A reported newsroom joke in response to Florida’s arsenic announcement: “The diabetes will kill you before the arsenic.” Within this quip lies an acknowledgement that a diet high in processed ingredients and sugars is unhealthful. Candy sellers don’t want the media to report on heavy metals in baby foods or arsenic in sugary snacks because such information impacts consumption and thus sales. For many consumers, any level of arsenic is concerning, just as any amount of rat feces in a bowl of cereal or a favorite brand of cookies might decrease appetite for more.
Sound Bites or Toxic Nibbles?
The National Confectioners Association issued a response, declaring, “Chocolate and candy are safe to eat and can be enjoyed as treats as they have been for centuries … Florida has chosen sound bites over science.” Here we see the “real science” label not employed to justify useless vaccines or gender dysphoria, but to argue that something that is known to be unhealthful – sugar, even without arsenic augmentation – is safe and enjoyable. Centuries ago, people also used leeches for bloodletting, thought the world was flat, and had no clue how toxic sugar was. They also didn’t eat anywhere near the amounts of sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) that Americans consume today.
Florida’s list of arsenic-tainted treats shows that even small amounts of some products exceed the recommended annual intake of arsenic – not even one bite is “sound.” For instance, Twizzlers Strawberry licorice was found to contain 500 parts per billion (PPB) of arsenic: Merely four pieces exceed the recommended annual limit for children.
Florida did not select obscure candy brand names, so its new list resonates with just about anyone who has ever eaten a candy bar, a Jolly Rancher, Skittles, or Tootsie Rolls. It also unintentionally reaffirmed the MAHA message to avoid ultraprocessed foods and pay extra for “cleaner” foods: All products tested from healthier food companies Annie’s, Unreal, and Yum Earth received a report card grade of “risk not identified.”
State-level MAHA
Florida’s testing of popular children’s dainties for arsenic levels reflects a broader agenda than policing what kids collect while trick-or-treating. Increasingly, states that understand the importance of MAHA policies beyond the lens of politics are taking their citizens’ health into their own hands rather than waiting on the federal government. While some (blue) states are rebelling against reduced vaccine recommendations from federal agencies, others are expanding vaccine exemptions, paring back drug mandates, submitting SNAP benefit waivers that deny public subsidies to sodas and candy, and embracing regulations that protect their citizens from aggressive corporate advertising and product development targeting young children.
Florida officials announced the arsenic testing results as part of the state’s “Healthy Florida First” initiative, a policy motivated by the nationwide MAHA movement. Florida’s push for healthier children began with infant formula testing that found elevated levels of heavy metals in 16 out of 24 widely available products. This is a deliberate effort to take a preventive state-level leadership role rather than rely on federal agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Florida’s first lady, Casey DeSantis, alleged the FDA “primarily works as a reactionary force, stepping in after problems are identified.”
The FDA still does its own policing and warns that high levels of exposure to arsenic during active brain development (in children) are associated with neurological damage, including learning and behavior disabilities and lower IQ. Florida is not mandating restrictions or banning any particular products; it is simply informing its citizens so that parents can choose to avoid feeding their children sweetened snacks that test at higher levels of arsenic.
No one argues that US food supplies are completely safe. As Florida’s candy battle illustrates, eating has become an adversarial battle for accurate information. State testing of children’s foods (school lunches next?) will help reduce chronic disease and make Americans healthy again, one state at a time.
