THE VILLAGES, Fla. – Florida officials on Monday presented results of its independent testing of 46 candy brands during a news conference in The Villages.
Gov. Ron DeSantis was joined by his wife, first lady Casey DeSantis, and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo as part of the Healthy Florida First initiative aimed at bringing “transparency, independent testing and accountability” to foods consumed by Floridians.
“I think a lot of what we’re doing is consistent with what they’re trying to do, you know, right now at the federal level. But we’re showing we have a role to be able to do some of these things that maybe the FDA has not yet done, maybe they will do in the future. But to give parents information, particularly when it comes to things with very, very small children,” the governor said of the initiative.
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Casey DeSantis discussed the results of the testing of 46 candy brands from 10 different companies, saying that arsenic was detected in “elevated levels” in 26 of the 33 traditional candy brands — like Three Musketeers, Snickers, Skittles, Nerds, KitKats and Jolly Ranchers.
“The concern here is not necessarily about one single piece of candy on one single day. The concern is what - when these products are consumed, as they realistically are repeatedly over time - exposure can exceed what the Department of Health is determined to be safe,” she said.
She said the goal with this initiative is to help support the changes made at the federal level and “working as force multipliers to be able to drive accountability through testing."
“The FDA primarily works as a reactionary force, stepping in after problems are identified. And while that role is very important, Florida is really working to change the system by supporting the FDA to not only continue to get in front of these problems by testing, but also by leading a coalition of states to trust but verify the integrity of our food supply," Casey DeSantis said.
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The surgeon general reiterated the harm arsenic has and said that very little arsenic consumed on a regular basis can still increase the likelihood of cancer.
“There should be a reasonable expectation that chemicals do not quietly make their way into our food supply. Consumers deserve transparency. Parents deserve information to be able to make informed decisions about their health and their children’s health, or their grandchildren’s health, and companies should be held to standards that we know from the evidence are achievable," Casey DeSantis said.
This news conference comes weeks after the governor announced the state had tested baby formula, which showed levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and/or pesticides.
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