How to Engage FDA's Cadmium Baby-Food Draft: Nov 16 Webinar and Dec 22 Comment Deadline

The short answer

Parents and advocates can engage FDA's draft cadmium action levels two ways: join the free Closer to Zero webinar on November 16, 2026 (1:00–2:00 p.m. ET), and file comments by December 22, 2026 on docket FDA-2025-D-4023 [1][2][3]. The draft covers certain packaged foods for children under 2 and excludes snacks, infant formula, beverages, raw produce and homemade foods [4]. This post is how to participate — not a reprint of the ppb table (cadmium numbers explainer).

On October 22, 2026, FDA announced draft cadmium action levels under Closer to Zero, plus related chemical-hazard preventive-controls draft guidance and a refreshed Closer to Zero webpage [2]. The Federal Register notice of availability sets the comment-by date and docket ID parents need for regulations.gov [3]. Below is a practical checklist for the webinar, the docket, what is in versus out of scope, and what tends to make a comment useful.

When is the FDA cadmium webinar and how do I join?

FDA scheduled "Webinar on Closer to Zero Updates Including Cadmium Action Levels" for November 16, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time [1]. The agency says the webinar will cover the new draft cadmium action levels, Chapter 12 of the draft Preventive Controls for Human Food guidance on chemical hazards, and the Closer to Zero webpage refresh [1][2].

The webinar is free; FDA states registration is required and points readers to the webinar page to register [2]. Posted agenda speakers include Mark Hartman (office overview), Eileen Abt (cadmium action-level draft), and Lauren Robin (related-project update and Q&A with the panel) [1]. If you can only do one thing before the comment deadline, the webinar is the fastest way to hear FDA's own framing of what it wants feedback on.

What is the comment deadline and docket number?

Submit comments by December 22, 2026 if you want FDA to consider them before it begins work on the final guidance [2][3][5]. The docket number is FDA-2025-D-4023 [3][4][5]. FDA's guidance document page lists the same close date (12/22/2026) and docket ID [5].

How to file:

Electronic (preferred): https://www.regulations.gov — search or open docket FDA-2025-D-4023 and follow the "Submit a formal comment" flow [3][7].
Written/paper: Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852; identify the submission with Docket No. FDA-2025-D-4023 [3][4].

FDA notes you can comment on any guidance at any time under 21 CFR 10.115(g)(5), but comments filed by the close date are the ones it will use before drafting the final version [3][4][5]. Comments on regulations.gov are public; do not include medical details, Social Security numbers, or confidential business information you do not want posted [3].

What does the cadmium draft cover — and what does it leave out?

When finalized, the draft would set cadmium action levels for processed food intended for babies and young children less than 2 years old in these categories: fruits, vegetables (excluding single-ingredient carrots), and mixtures; single-ingredient carrots; dry infant cereals; yogurts, puddings and custards; and single-ingredient meats [3][4]. Action levels are nonbinding guidance numbers at which FDA may regard a food as adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act when deciding on enforcement [3][4].

Out of scope (quoted categories from the draft): raw agricultural commodities; homemade foods (for example, fruit purées prepared at home); snack foods, including grain-based or freeze-dried snacks; infant formula; and any beverages, including toddler drinks [4]. FDA says it is still collecting data on grain-based snacks to decide whether an action level would be appropriate later [4].

For the category-by-category ppb figures and how they compare with AB 899 lot results, use FDA's draft cadmium limits explained — that post holds the table. For why snack formats still matter for arsenic even when cadmium snacks are excluded here, see CR 2026 on rice snacks and arsenic.

In draft scope (under 2, processed)	Explicitly excluded
Fruits, vegetables (except single-ingredient carrots carved out), mixtures	Snack foods (grain-based or freeze-dried)
Single-ingredient carrots (own level)	Infant formula
Dry infant cereals	Beverages / toddler drinks
Yogurts, puddings, custards	Raw agricultural commodities
Single-ingredient meats	Homemade baby food

Source: FDA draft guidance PDF and Federal Register notice [3][4].

What does a useful public comment look like?

FDA is asking for comments on the proposed action levels in general, including whether there is enough data to support different levels for these food categories [3]. Useful comments tend to be specific, evidence-linked, and scoped to what the draft actually decides:

State who you are in one line (parent, caregiver, pediatric clinician, advocate, brand) — enough context for FDA to weigh perspective, without private medical history [3].
Name the exact ask. Examples of concrete asks: keep or tighten a category level; add a missing format (with data); clarify how mixtures are classified; urge a timeline for grain-based snacks given the draft's data-collection note [3][4].
Cite primary sources. Point to FDA's own draft PDF, Total Diet Study or surveillance tables FDA already used, California AB 899 public results, or peer-reviewed exposure data — not anonymous social posts.
Separate science from storytelling. A short feeding anecdote can illustrate why a category matters; it should not replace a clear request about the guidance text.
Stay inside this docket. Chemical-hazards Chapter 12 preventive-controls comments belong on docket FDA-2016-D-2343 (comment-by date January 21, 2027 on that separate draft) [2]. Mixing dockets makes both harder to use.

Comments that only say "ban cadmium" or paste a full ppb table without a request give FDA little to implement. Comments that say "finalize the dry-infant-cereal level as drafted" or "publish a snack data plan with a public date" are easier to act on.

How does the webinar relate to the Dec 22 deadline?

Think of the webinar as the briefing and the docket as the formal record. FDA's constituent update ties the November 16 session directly to explaining the cadmium draft, the preventive-controls chapter, and the Closer to Zero page refresh ahead of finalization work [2]. That refresh sits on FDA's Closer to Zero page for parents and industry [6]. Attending (or watching materials if FDA posts them afterward) helps you avoid commenting on something the draft never claimed to cover — for example, demanding a juice cadmium action level in this docket when beverages are excluded [4].

If you miss the webinar, you can still comment through December 22 using the draft PDF and Federal Register notice alone [3][4][5].

Where to read the numbers and check a product afterward

Draft PDF (primary): Action Levels for Cadmium… Draft Guidance for Industry [4]
Guidance landing page (comment link + 12/22/2026 close date): FDA search-guidance entry for the same title [5]
Federal Register notice of availability: document 2026-21670 / 91 FR 66796 [3]
Our plain-language ppb table and AB 899 cross-check: /blog/fda-cadmium-action-levels-baby-food-2026
Brand disclosure how-to: /blog/ab899-public-vs-lot-code
How World of Baby Food ranks disclosure and testing: /methodology and the homepage rankings

This article is for information only and is not medical advice. It is also not legal or regulatory advice, and it does not file a comment on your behalf.

FAQ

Do I have to attend the webinar to comment?

No. Registration helps you hear FDA's presentation, but the docket accepts electronic or written comments without webinar attendance [1][2][3].

Is the cadmium draft a binding law?

No. It is draft guidance. When finalized, action levels would still be nonbinding numbers FDA may use, with other factors, when considering whether a food is adulterated [3][4].

Can I comment after December 22, 2026?

You can comment on guidance at any time under FDA's good-guidance practices, but only comments submitted by the close date are assured consideration before FDA begins work on the final version [3][5].

Does this draft limit cadmium in puffs and teething snacks?

No. Snack foods, including grain-based or freeze-dried snacks, are excluded while FDA collects more data [4]. That gap is exactly the kind of scope issue a focused comment can address.

Is infant formula included?

No. The draft states it does not apply to infant formula or to beverages, including toddler drinks [4].

References

U.S. FDA, Webinar on Closer to Zero Updates Including Cadmium Action Levels — 11/16/2026 (content current as of Oct 22, 2026).
U.S. FDA, FDA Advances Closer to Zero Initiative to Safeguard Food for Children (Oct 22, 2026).
Federal Register, Action Levels for Cadmium in Processed Food Intended for Babies and Young Children; Draft Guidance for Industry; Availability (91 FR 66796, Oct 23, 2026; Docket FDA-2025-D-4023).
U.S. FDA, Action Levels for Cadmium in Processed Food Intended for Babies and Young Children: Draft Guidance for Industry (Oct 2026 PDF).
U.S. FDA, Action Levels for Cadmium… Draft Guidance for Industry (guidance page) (Submit Comments by 12/22/2026; Docket FDA-2025-D-4023).
U.S. FDA, Closer to Zero: Reducing Childhood Exposure to Heavy Metals from Foods.
Regulations.gov, Docket FDA-2025-D-4023 (electronic comment portal).