Soft lunch boxes may be lined with a vinyl containing lead, the government says, but safety officials say the containers pose no immediate danger.
Food and Drug Administration officials have told companies to look for a manufacturing method that does not use lead.
It is not clear whether this lead can contaminate food stored in the lunch boxes. Mitchell Cheeseman, associate director of the FDA’s Office of Food Additive Safety, noted that since food in lunch boxes is generally stored inside bags, the potential for contamination is minimized.
If the agency were able to prove that lead is migrating from the lunch box lining into food, it would step in, he said.
A Consumer Product Safety Commission spokeswoman said Friday that her organization’s tests showed the lunch boxes were safe for children to handle.
