We, at Tierra Farm, take food safety extremely seriously. Every food that is nature-grown comprises trace levels of naturally occurring minerals/elements like cadmium and lead, which are present naturally in every soil because they’re found in the crust of the Earth. Since these minerals, including lead and cadmium, are present naturally in the soil, they are absorbed by plants through their roots along with other nutrients. Hence, there may be traces that are unavoidable happening in virtually every food, which includes vegetables, fruits, grains, meats, and fish.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other health authorities have found out that small traces of naturally occurring minerals in food are inevitable and do not present a public health risk, the threat of injury, or warning needs. The FDA constantly monitors the amount of lead and cadmium within the food and we guarantee that our products securely pass any FDA regulations.
California law consists of what’s known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, also known as Proposition 65 (“Prop 65”). Prop 65 is a unique, California-only “right to know” law that needs products sold in California to hold notices of warning regarding the likelihood of exposure to any of the more than 800 substances that are listed by the state. Prop 65’s warning standards are low uniquely & not safety-based. For practical purposes, Prop 65 warnings are needed for any product (non-food or food) that exposes an individual in California to virtually any amount detectable of a listed chemical.
Prop 65 does not ban any products from sale in California; it just needs warnings about the chemicals that are listed contained in the product. No other state has a law similar to Proposition 65, which requires warnings for listed chemicals in products at levels that are below levels known to cause any definite harm, or that are FDA-regulated or regulated by other federal law. Proposition 65 officially regulates substances listed by California as having a 1 in 100,000 chance of resulting in birth defects or cancer over a period of 70 years.
Trace amounts of cadmium, lead, and other chemicals and metals listed under California’s Proposition 65 are found in some of even the most carefully selected and sourced ingredients contained in TierraFarm.com products. Lead, as an example, is a naturally occurring element that is found all over the entirety of the environment, which include in soils where it can be taken up by natural plants and herbs all over the world. None of these elements are added by farmers or by TierraFarm.com. Good manufacturing practices are what we follow throughout our supply chain in order to minimize or eliminate any contamination.
TierraFarm.com prefers to comply with Prop 65 by either: (1) providing warnings where there are detectable levels of trace amounts of listed chemicals; or (2) limiting the serving size for California residents to avoid any warning requirement. We strongly believe that any minute levels of the chemicals listed by Prop 65 in its products should be exempted under the “naturally occurring allowance” exception.
To learn more visit California's Prop 65 website for additional information.
