COMMUNITY NEWS
Perrigo Told to Reduce Lead in Formula O n Feb. 2, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office joined with the California Attorney General’s Office to file suit against Perrigo Co., which sells toddler formula with dangerously elevated lead levels in their products. Testing revealed that these formulas exceed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provisional daily intake levels for children under 6 and caused lead exposures that exceeded the Proposition 65 warning threshold. “Lead is a dangerous neurotoxin that may cause severe harm to children. The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s
Office is committed to protecting the health and safety of Santa Cruz County residents, and marketing adulterated products for children consumption is unacceptable,” said District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell. The lawsuit alleges that Perrigo’s Toddler Formula products are adulterated under California and Federal standards and the sale of the products violated Proposition 65 and California’s Unfair Competition Law by manufacturing products with lead levels that exceeded the Proposition 65 warning threshold.
The settlement requires Perrigo to significantly reduce the levels of lead in its products, with substantial injunctive terms, including: • The settlement sets a target lead level for all Perrigo infant and toddler formula products sold in California of 4 parts per billion, with a maximum lead level of 5-7 ppb, depending on the product. • To attain the target level, Perrigo must put ingredient sourcing and control processes in place. Perrigo must also consult with an independent
food processing auditor, set internal food quality auditing practices, and conduct compliance testing to ensure that its products do not exceed the maximum lead levels. • If a product lot exceeds the maximum lead levels and is not found to be an outlier, Perrigo may not sell that lot in California. It must also investigate the cause, and work with the auditor to keep the level under the maximum. The lawsuit was filed by Santa Cruz District Attorney, the District Attorneys of Alameda, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Santa Clara, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, and Orange counties, and the Attorney General. n
Prosecutors Eager for Details from Gov. Newsom’s Care Court
T
he California District Attorneys Association supports the concept of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Care Court; a proposal that would provide mandatory treatment for mentally ill homeless people. “This innovative and humane approach would help the thousands of Californians on the street suffering from mental illness who don’t have the wherewithal to volunteer for medical and psychiatric care,” said Greg Totten, CDAA’s Chief Executive Officer. In his State of the State Address, Newsom proposed Care Court, which he said would create civil court divisions in
every county that could have the power to mandate mental health treatment for people with debilitating psychosis. “By providing new treatment options to those who are most vulnerable and most in need, California can humanely address the human suffering connected to homelessness while also improving public safety for all of our communities,” said Jeff Reisig, Yolo County District Attorney and president of the California District Attorneys Association. The governor suggested “care court” could become state law this year. The California District Attorneys
Association, which represents more than 3,500 prosecutors, issued a statement saying, “We look forward to being a part of a robust conversation about a policy that is desperately needed.” n
A coordinated team of licensed professionals, nurses, social workers, and physical and occupational therapists, focus on medical, preventive and social care to improve health outcomes for vulnerable participants. Participants get therapeutic activities, personal care, hot meals, nutritional counseling, and transportation to and from the center. This helps them stay as healthy as possible in their own homes, as most people prefer as they age, and out of institutional care. During the pandemic, in-person services were limited as it was not safe to bring vulnerable people together. The vast majority of the offerings moved online – via telehealth for example -- although Elderdayp never fully closed. Most participants used the virtual option but for about 18 months only the most critically in need of care came for in-
person services, and then only one or two at a time. By developing a partnership with Parks and Recreation Departments and libraries within Santa Cruz County, Community Bridges created Senior Center Without Limits to offer virtual services not only to Elderday participants but to any older adult in the county. The innovative online programming offered seniors a way to stay connected with activities and friends online even as they sheltered in their own homes. Although Senior Center Without Limits will continue to offer online classes to the whole community, Elderday has begun to gradually bring participants back to the center to receive the full scope of their programming and support in person. Elderday reopened last summer but returned to virtual operations again over the winter due to the Omicron variant surge of cases. n
— California District Attorneys Association
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www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / March 15th 2022 / 7
