America's first anti lead candy bill passed

The bill AB121 was drawn up by the states assemblyman Juan Vargas and was mainly brought about by a groundswell of concern from local children and parents.

For 3 years a campaign has been trying to highlight the dangers of high levels of lead found in foreign candies imported in particular from bordering Mexico.

The biggest concern and focus of the bill is on products containing tamarind and chile, which are sometimes linked to the packaging of the confection.

Some chocolates contain lead naturally and because of this it was feared by some confectionery companies that their products would become illegal in California, however zero tolerance is not the aim of the bill and its felt a compromise has been met.

The bill, which is the first of its kind in America, has taken three years to formulate, but despite this it was unlikely to be vetoed by Schwarzenegger who has tried to focus on peoples health concerns.

Confectioners have until January 1st, to reformulate their products or seek alternative wrapping, when the bill comes into effect thanks to Schwarzenegger agreeing to the proposal on Saturday.