Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a five-year agreement with Procter & Gamble requiring Crest to change its children’s toothpaste packaging after state investigators found the marketing depicted excessive fluoride amounts that put children’s brain development at risk, according to a Jan. 8 statement from the Texas Office of the Attorney General.
The agreement comes after concerns were raised about how much fluoride was being shown on packaging for children's toothpaste.
"The agreement requires updated packaging to show pea-sized amounts of fluoride toothpaste for children, with compliance required for five years," according to the Texas Office of the Attorney General. "The allegations mirror those in six federal class-action lawsuits filed by the law firm Siri & Glimstad against Colgate, Crest, Hello Products, Perrigo and Chattem in federal courts in California and Illinois" according to the Texas Office of the Attorney General.
Federal courts denied motions to dismiss the fluoride toothpaste lawsuits against Procter & Gamble and Perrigo, allowing 34 lead plaintiffs to proceed. The complaints allege manufacturers concealed required Food and Drug Administration warnings behind promotional claims while depicting full strips of toothpaste on packaging for children younger than 6 according to The New Lede.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to review its guidance on community water fluoridation. Siri & Glimstad, the firm behind the toothpaste lawsuits, also has 492 active Vaccine Injury Compensation Program claims against HHS, linking the fluoride litigation pipeline to vaccine policy according to National Public Radio.
The Texas Office of the Attorney General is the state’s chief law enforcement agency, led by Attorney General Paxton since January 2015. The consumer protection division investigates deceptive trade practices, false advertising, and product safety violations under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the office said.
