What You Need to Know About California's Prop 65
What is California's Prop 65?
The state of California passed Proposition 65, also known as the “Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.” So, what does that mean for Touchstone Essentials’ products?
In short, Prop 65 is standard practice in California, a disclaimer warning found on almost everything that ships to the state. Though the list was intended to warn of approximately 900 chemicals, including inorganic oxides, heavy metals, certain dyes, acids, sulfides, and more, the list of toxins is so vast and so common, almost every finished product comes with a warning.
Even on products packed with nutrients that are specifically formulated to detoxify our bodies, such as Organic Super Fiber and Super Green Juice, we are still required to display Prop 65’s warning labels due to the low thresholds set by the state of California.
Strangely, if you purchase broccoli or spinach in the grocery store in California you would not see a warning. However, that same organic broccoli or organic spinach in our superfood powders requires a Prop 65 warning, simply because it is classified as a “finished” product.
Toxins in Our Environment
Since we’re inundated with toxins in our environment, whether present in our homes or workplaces, it makes sense that California would encourage their citizens to make informed decisions about exposure to toxins.
However, any food that grows in the ground can absorb trace amounts of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, or lead directly from the soil.
Simply speaking, heavy metals are everywhere and don’t degrade over time, inevitably landing in our foods. In fact, it’s likely that you will be exposed to a variety of the same chemicals that Prop 65 is meant to monitor through ground soil, pesticides, or preservatives sprayed onto produce during shipping.
This reality is what inspired us to create Pure Body and Pure Body Extra, because we understand how important it is to regularly detox.
These naturally occurring heavy metals cannot be entirely eliminated, however remnants of toxins from pesticides and fertilizers can be avoided – which is why we place so much emphasis on sourcing organically grown, top quality ingredients.
What Prop 65 Means for Heavy Metals
The threshold for Prop 65’s warning labels are so miniscule, the requirements are significantly lower than many foods’ naturally occurring levels of heavy metals.
For example, Prop 65 guidelines require a reproductive health warning for products that contain over 0.5 micrograms (mcg) of lead per serving, or one half of a millionth of a gram, and less than found in most foods.
California determined this threshold by picking a level that represents 1/1000th of the amount found to have caused reproductive harm. California’s threshold is far lower than those of the World Health Organization and supplement guidelines set by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) which is 10 mcg a day. Prop 65’s warning threshold is 20 times lower than the USP’s.
While it would be nice to have zero lead in food, that simply isn’t possible. Almost all foods have some level of heavy metals, which is why it’s so important to detoxify every day.
Prop 65 was written to catch chemicals that products might be exposed to during the manufacturing process. Touchstone Essentials’ products are entirely natural, with no added artificial ingredients.
Because our supplements go through a processing system, they are considered a “finished product,” and we are subject to Prop 65’s standard warning labels.
What to Expect if You’re in California
If you’re based in California, some of our products will now feature a warning label because of Prop 65. This typically applies to our organic superfood powders: due to their concentrated nutrition, they deliver a bigger serving size and hence hit the low threshold for reporting in California.
Everything about our ingredient sourcing, processing, or manufacturing tactics is the same – it’s simply part of being compliant in an ever-changing regulatory environment. For example, the same products sold in neighboring Nevada or Oregon will not have these labels.
Nothing has changed with our organic superfood supplements: each ingredient is still selected from certified organic farms, and gently processed to deliver all the good of nature right to your door.
