OEHHA Enters Prop. 65 MOU with Department of Food and Agriculture

California EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture relating to “cooperation and communication in the implementation of Proposition 65 with respect to exposure to Proposition 65 listed chemicals in food or food additives.” According to OEHHA, the agreement “describes the types of information that will be shared between the two agencies prior to public release and a mechanism by which the sharing can be accomplished.” Proposition 65 (Prop. 65) was adopted by voter initiative in 1986; it requires businesses to provide warnings when they cause an exposure to a chemical listed as known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. The MOU applies to those chemicals listed under Prop. 65 “that are or may be found in California’s soil, food products, agricultural residues and fertilizers.” See OEHHA Press Release, February 5, 2014.

Issue 512