It doesn't taste like poison. This innocent seeming candy called Pica Fresa has a cute little guy on its wrapper. He's a cartoon man with a strawberry on his head and a hungry red tongue reaching for the fruit. There's a piece of Mexican candy inside that tastes like an artificial glob of pungently sweet strawberry dusted in a musty chili powder with a spicy aftertaste. No poison taste here. But recent tests have shown high levels of lead in Mexican candies. Candies like this Pica Fresa, mango lollipops, lemony chili powder, gum coated with chili powder and more. The Clark County Health District has been pulling the candy off local supermarket shelves and testing it since last week.
"There was an advisory put out by the state of California, about they had done some sampling there and found high levels of lead in particular candies that are being sold in some of the Hispanic markets," says Dave Tonelli, public information specialist for CCHD. "And so just as a proactive thing the Health District has gone out and we're now looking for some of the same candies in our local Hispanic markets and we're going to have those tested and see if there are any high levels of lead in the candies that are being sold here."
Judging from a six-part series recently published by the Orange County Register, there's little questions about what the tests will find. Lead. Enough to be dangerous to a child. To harm brain development and lower intelligence. To cause pain in the stomach and damage the kidneys. Reporters at the California paper spent two years investigating. They learned that the lead presence stems from the chili in the candy. In some parts of Mexico, dried chilis aren't washed. They sit for more than a year in a hot storage shed and have insects and rodents crawl over them. The bags holding them include not only chilis, but sometimes car battery connectors or rocks or any kind of heavy substance that will weigh down the bags and earn the farmer more money. The lead also comes from the ink on the labels and the ingredient tamarind, which is sometimes in the candies.
"More than 80 percent of the state and federal high test results show levels so dangerous that eating one piece could push a child past the FDA's recommended daily limit for lead," reads the Register article.
Perhaps in response to questioning by the newspaper, the state issued a health advisory about Chaca Chaca, a Mexican candy made of apple and chili powder. But this treat had been tested by the state 38 times from February 1998 to February 2003, and, though 17 times it tested high for lead, the results were never reported.
Even when warnings are issued, as they have been seven times by California, the Register reports, no action is taken. The state estimates that up to 15 percent of the kids with lead poisoning have eaten Mexican candy. Still, no action. The FDA, also after repeated questioning, issued a statement in April advising parents not to give these candies to their children. "The FDA ... is advising parents, care providers, and other responsible individuals that it would be prudent to not allow children to eat these products at this time," the statement reads.
In Las Vegas these candies aren't hard to find. Try the ethnic food aisle, and if there's none in your neighborhood grocery store, there's little doubt that one nearby is well-stocked. For 99 cents you can go to Albertsons and have your pick from a number of candies with cute little wrappers. If not the strawberry-headed guy, there's happy, blond, balding fellow swinging a golf club at a chili-coated piece of gum. What kid wouldn't want to try some?