Why you might see a new warning on backpacking meals moving forward.
You’ve probably seen Prop 65 warnings on everything from coffee to ceramics to grocery items. These warnings don’t necessarily mean a product is unsafe—they’re about transparency and giving consumers the right to know what’s in the products they use or eat and backpacking meals are not exempt.
For example meals that may include lentils will now have this warning moving forward. Lentils are a naturally grown crop that can absorb trace amounts of heavy metals from the soil—things like cadmium or arsenic. These elements occur naturally in the environment, but because they’re on California’s Prop 65 list, foods that contain even small trace amounts must carry a warning label when sold in California.
This isn’t just us—it’s happening across the food industry, and you may have noticed more backpacking food carrying these labels.
What’s Prop 65?
Proposition 65—formally known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986—is a California law that requires businesses to warn consumers when products may expose them to certain chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm.
You can read more about Prop 65 directly from the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA):
👉 https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/general-info/proposition-65-plain-language
💡 What This Means for You
Starting in 2025, our lentil-based meals sold in California will carry a Prop 65 warning label. This label might look like:
⚠️ WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including cadmium, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/food.
We believe labels should inform and not alarm. Trace levels of minerals like cadmium are already regulated by the FDA and occur naturally in many foods. This new label doesn’t reflect a change in our ingredients, it simply aligns with California’s new labeling rules!
See you outside!