Social media posts claiming there is a recall on KitchenAid mixers because of lead contamination have gone viral in recent weeks.
A Facebook post with more than 27,000 shares claims the attachments that help stir, mix or whip ingredients contain dangerous amounts of lead.
“KITCHEN AID RECALL - NOT A JOKE,” the Facebook post says.
It continues, “ATTENTION: Anyone who has a Kitchenaid Mixer with a white paddle and hook attachments. Stop using it immediately! It contains extreme amounts of lead!! The Stainless Steel is ok. You can call the Kitchen Aid number and they will replace it with a metal ones for free. 1-800-541-6390 or 1-800-474-8007. I did it it was super easy! Give them the code on your mixer and they replace them. The calls takes less then 5 minutes!”
VERIFY viewers sent us links to the social media posts and also asked if it’s true the products are being recalled due to high levels of lead.
THE QUESTION
Is there a recall for KitchenAid mixer attachments due to lead?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, there's not a KitchenAid mixer attachment recall due to lead.
WHAT WE FOUND
Whirlpool, the parent company of KitchenAid, has no recall on mixer attachments. The Consumer Product Safety Commission also doesn’t show any KitchenAid products recently recalled.
Claims that KitchenAid attachments are contaminated with lead stem from online and social media posts from Tamara Rubin, who runs the Lead Safe Mama website and social media accounts.
Rubin says she conducted a lead test on aluminum cast attachments, including the paddles and dough hooks that are currently sold with KitchenAid stand mixers. Rubin alleged dangerous levels of lead were found in the substrate on the attachments, which is the layer beneath the coating used on the products.
Rubin claims one KitchenAid dough hook tested positive for lead at a level of 2,434 parts per million (ppm). This test has not been independently confirmed.
Rubin demanded a recall on the products.
Lead is a naturally occurring heavy metal that has mostly been phased out of U.S. products but is still used in other countries. It is toxic and in high levels can cause health problems, especially in young children. Health experts say there is no safe level of lead, although most people are exposed to small amounts of lead through water, food and other products such as lead-based paint in older homes.
The FDA doesn't require kitchen utensils to be 100% lead-free. However, it does limit the amount of leachable lead in some utensils such as flatware to about 3 ppm of leaching solution. Leachable lead is the trace amount of lead that could contaminate a food product.
It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to minimize or prevent lead from being harmful in products, the FDA says.
In an email to VERIFY, Whirlpool said claims the attachments contain dangerous levels of lead are misleading.
“These accessories, including beaters, dough hooks and whisks, are tested through a third party, independent laboratory to ensure they comply with all applicable regulations in the locations where they are sold regarding lead content,” a Whirlpool spokesperson told VERIFY.
“Aluminum alloys can contain small levels of impurities, and for that reason all current models of aluminum accessories have a food-safe coating that is tested both for lead content and lead migration to ensure that it is also safe,” the statement continued.
KitchenAid products sold in California do have a warning label that is required under the state’s Proposition 65 law, the KitchenAid website says. The law requires special labeling for products containing certain chemicals that could cause harm, including lead.
According to KitchenAid’s website, any lead levels in their products comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards.
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