Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

FDA issues chapuline warning

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers, particularly pregnant women and children, to avoid eating chapulines, or grasshoppers, imported from Oaxaca, Mexico, because they could be contaminated with lead.

The warning follows several lead poisoning cases involving young children in California. The incidents were linked to grasshopper consumption.

Lead is a toxic metal that can cause damage to the central nervous system, particularly in young children.

An analysis of chapulines from Oaxaca by the California Department of Health Services indicated as much as 2,300 micrograms of lead may be present per gram of product. Federal guidelines for children under age 6 limit daily lead exposure to no more than 6 micrograms for all food sources.

Although some of the chapulines analyzed contained no detectable lead, consumers have no practical way of determining which products are contaminated.

Clark County Health District officials said in a news release Monday that they cannot determine whether any of the contaminated product has reached Southern Nevada, but they are issuing an advisory and working with food vendors that cater to the Hispanic community to ensure they know about the potential health hazard associated with lead in the product.

Chapulines are a traditional snack food in some regions of Mexico. They often are prepared with red chili powder and sold in small, unlabeled bags at Hispanic retail food stores, restaurants and flea markets.

For more information contact the Clark County Health District Office of Epidemiology at 383-1378.