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The Balancing Act in Regulation Between the FDA and the Court’s Role in Promoting Children’s Health: In re: Gerber Products Company Heavy Metals Baby Food Litigation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 April 2023

Daniela del Campo
Daniela del Campo*
Affiliation:
Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
*
Email: delcampo@bu.edu
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Abstract

Infantile food products have been at the forefront of litigation in the recent year for unsafe standards set forth by their developing companies. This recent case development explores how the Court decided on a suit brought forth against Gerber for toxic levels of heavy metals in their food. Their opinion shines a light on how upcoming larger cases against Abbott Industries for unsafe milk products might be handled. The author urges the Courts and the FDA to work together to resolve these cases in the interest of pediatric public health.

Keywords

FDAInfantile Products LitigationPublic Health
Type
Recent case developments
Information
American Journal of Law & Medicine , Volume 48 , Issue 4 , December 2022 , pp. 469 - 471
Copyright
© 2023 The Author(s)

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References

1 In re Gerber Prod. Co. Heavy Metals Baby Food Litig., No. 121CV269MSNJFA, 2022 WL 10197651, at *1 (E.D. Va. Oct. 17, 2022).

2 Id.

3 Id.

4 Id.

5 Id.

6 Id. at 2.

7 Id. at 6.

8 Id. at 5.

9 Id. at 3.

10 Id. at 11.

11 Id.

12 Id.

13 Id.

14 Id. at 13-14.

15 Id. at 15.

16 See, e.g., In re Abbott Lab’ys., Preterm Infant Nutrition Prod. Liab. Litig., 600 F. Supp. 3d 1345 (U.S. Jud. Pan. Mult. Lit. 2022).

17 See e.g. Davis v. Abbott Labs, 562 F. Supp. 3d 585 (C.D. Cal. 2021); Mead Johns Dowswell v. Mead Johnson & Co., No. 3:22-CV-01118-GCS, 2022 WL 3213274 (S.D. Ill. June 6, 2022), report and recommendation adopted in part, rejected in part, No. 22-CV-1118-SMY-GCS, 2022 WL 2801018 (S.D. Ill. July 18, 2022).

18 See, e.g., In re Abbott Lab’ys, Preterm Infant Nutrition Prod. Liab. Litig., 600 F. Supp. 3d 1345 (U.S. Jud. Pan. Mult. Lit. 2022).

19 Christina Jewett, F.D.A. Report Faults Agency’s Unit for Leaderless Dysfunction, The N.Y. Times (Dec. 6, 2022), https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/06/health/fda-food-safety-report.html [https://perma.cc/22CR-9GJY].

20 Id.