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Strawberry, cherry, and lead

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In April 2004, the Orange Country Register reported that candies made in Mexico and sold in the U.S. are laced with lead. Lest you need convincing that the current FDA is a disaster, here's proof: the agency has known for over a year that Mars Inc. is selling the candies and failed to do anything about it. As the Register reports,  leaded candies are still on the shelves.

Mars, for its part, gets to play the Good Samaritan. In response to the Register story, the company announced a "voluntary recall" of the leaded goodies... (I love that term, voluntary. It's as if removing toxic candies from the market is an act of charity. As if Mars is doing us a favor.)

Most all of the tainted candies are Mexican brands not widely advertised in the U.S. (The Register created a helpful guide to avoid them; see also these posters in English and Spanish.) Candy manufacturers south of the border produce two versions of their products: a cheap, spicy version is made for Mexicans -- that's the one laced with lead -- and a bland, lead-free version designed to pass U.S. standards. Invariably some candies intended for Mexico end up here, where they're consumed by (surprise) mostly poor and working class latinos. Though this scenario is ripe for conspiracy theories, it's really a matter of simple economics. I think it's safe to say that we'd see a very different response if the tainted candies were, say, M&Ms and Snickers.

(Thanks, Pat Johnson)