SFA Recalls Pasta for Babies in S’pore Due to High Levels of Arsenic

As many parents will tell you, babies are eating, sleeping, crying, and pooping machines.

Your job as a parent is to ensure they have enough sleep, attend to them when they cry (for valid reasons), and nourish them.

Some babies are picky when it comes to food, and others will try to eat that toy car you bought for them.

In any case, making sure your baby is well fed is vital for its physical and cognitive development.

And the last thing you want to do, of course,  is feed it something that’s going to upset its little stomach, or worse.

SFA Recalls Pasta for Babies in S’pore Due to High Levels of Arsenic

A pasta that was marketed as baby food has been recalled by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) after it was found to have excessive levels of arsenic.

The product, Bellamy’s Organic – Organic Brown Rice Pasta Stars, was imported from Australia.

According to CNA, the SFA has directed the importer, DKSH Marketing Services, to recall the product.

Consequently, all batches of the product across the country are being recalled as a precaution. The recall is still ongoing.

The packing of the product suggests that it is suitable for infants from the age of seven months.

However, samples of the pasta were found to have arsenic which exceeded the maximum limit of 0.1ppm, as stipulated by the Singapore Food Regulations.

According to the SFA, arsenic levels in the pasta ranged between  0.12ppm to 0.3ppm.

What to Do If You’ve Already Consumed It

Now, if you’re like me and you never even knew baby pasta existed, then you’re fine.

But if you’ve purchased this pasta for your baby, wanting to give it an alternative to liquified foods, you should ensure that your infant does not consume it.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, short-term exposure to very high amounts of inorganic arsenic can result in nausea, vomiting, bruising, and numbness or burning sensations in the hands and feet.

However, the real dangers seem to be for those who have consumed or been exposed to arsenic for a long period of time.

As SFA said: “The level of arsenic detected may cause the product to be unsafe for consumption by infants if there is long-term intake”.

If your infant has already consumed it, you may seek medical care if they are unwell.

Customers who have purchased the product but haven’t consumed it yet can contact their point of purchase for enquiries and ask for an exchange of product.

It’s certainly a good thing that the SFA caught this early on.