Florida Investigation Finds 78% of “Traditional” Candy Tested Contains Arsenic

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, First Lady Casey DeSantis, and Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo released details about a candy safety investigation that revealed 28 out of 46 products contained arsenic ranging from 180 to 570 parts per billion. While the United States does not have actionable levels of arsenic for candy, it does set levels at 10 ppb for drinking water and apple juice, as well as 100 ppb for infant rice cereal. First Lady Casey DeSantis noted that 26 out of 33 “traditional” candy brands came back with detectable levels of arsenic.

Tootsie Roll Fruit Chew Lime (570), Jolly Rancher Sour Apple (540), Twizzlers Watermelon (510) and Strawberry (500), and Laffy Taffy Banana (480) had the highest arsenic concentrations, according to the testing results. Arsenic occurs naturally, but there is no known safe level of the chemical according to federal health agencies and the World Health Organization (WHO). Both organic and inorganic forms of arsenic are carcinogenic to humans, but the inorganic form is considered more toxic. The report has not disclosed whether the arsenic detected was organic, inorganic, or a mixture of both.

“Food is an essential part of life, and we need it to be as safe and nutritious as possible,” said State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo. “We believe that evaluating risks and communicating our findings to the public are essentially steps for driving the change we seek in the food industry and improving the health of Floridians.”

The Florida report also evaluates each piece of candy and the amount that a child or adult could consume each year that would fall within safety thresholds – specifically, health-based screening benchmarks that were developed by the state of Florida and have not been publicly disclosed. The report states that a child could safely consume 6 pieces of Jolly Rancher Sour Apple annually if each piece is 8 grams.

The National Confectioners Association took issue with the report and called it “misguided,” while stating Florida has chosen “soundbites over science” as part of a “scare tactic.” The NCA asserts that “chocolate and candy are safe to eat and can be enjoyed as treats, as they have been for centuries.”

Arsenic exposure is linked to cognitive deficits in children, including consistent findings across dozens of studies showing lower IQ scores, slower processing speeds, and impaired memory and language skills. Prolonged exposure to arsenic has been linked to a wide range of cancers – bladder, skin, lung, digestive tract, liver, kidney, lymphatic system, and hematopoietic system.

The CFA pointed to the FDA’s Closer to Zero program, which was announced in 2021, and is working to reduce the amounts of contaminants in foods, with a specific focus on foods eaten by infants and children. The program looks at contaminants like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury – all of which can be naturally occurring at various levels based on geographical factors. Pollution from industry also contributes to the contaminant levels in food.

The CFA said the group and its members are dedicated to working with the federal government and any established regulations to improve safety and food quality. The CFA statement also links to a new FDA database that shows 41% of candy samples had detectable levels of arsenic, and the mean arsenic concentration in candy was 3.68 ppb with a max concentration of 20, which is far below the amounts being reported in Florida’s investigation. The FDA table doesn’t disclose the specific candy that was tested, but notes there were 60 samples in its assessment.

“Consuming more than 96 nerds – the small granular pieces of nerds in a year – exceeds what is considered a safe annual arsenic exposure for children,” First Lady Desantis said. “But, 96 nerds, as we all know, is not typically what comes in a box. A typical box can contain about 2,000. If you get one of those big boxes like a movie theater – that’s about 8,000 nerds. Asking families to stop at 96 pieces over the course of a year is not realistic when it’s viewed against how the product is packaged, marketed, and then consumed.”

The Department of Health and Human Services recently announced a new food pyramid that states no amount of added sugar is recommended or considered part of a healthy and nutritious diet. According to a study that was funded in part by the CFA, children aged 2-13 consumed an average of 11.4 grams of candy per day, which equates to about 9.2 pounds annually. The average child in the US consumes 17 teaspoons of sugar per day, but the American Heart Association recommends no more than six teaspoons per day. One-third of children consume candy every day in the US.

Excess sugar consumption is associated with weight gain and obesity. About 19.3% of US children and 42.4% of adults have obesity. Another 16.1% of children and 30.7% of adults are overweight, which means more than one-third of children and nearly three-fourths of adults are overweight or obese in America.