Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced on Dec. 1 – observed as Giving Tuesday – that his office has awarded $325,000 to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to support maternal and fetal health as part of a $1.75-million settlement with a prenatal vitamin manufacturer. 

“I’m very proud we were able to provide this crucial funding to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, whose vital care to our most vulnerable kids matters so much,” Feuer said. “Our settlement with Rainbow Light Nutritional Systems made this significant award possible and had groundbreaking impact. Rainbow Light agreed to resource ingredients and to conduct testing which has confirmed that its lead levels are substantially below state and federal limits. Additionally, through this settlement, we’ve sent restitution checks totaling more than $1.1 million to 5,596 California consumers.”

The 2019 case began after Feuer’s office noted that Rainbow Light had advertised its vitamins as “free of heavy metals” and made with materials “with the lowest detectable lead level” on the market. Yet when tested by an independent, third-party lab, results showed that they were not completely “free of heavy metals,” Feuer said. After the City Attorney’s Office brought the results to the attention of Rainbow Light, the company removed its allegedly misleading advertising, fully cooperated with Feuer’s Office and entered into a $1.75- million settlement including restitution and a provision that allowed for remaining funds to be distributed to CHLA.

CHLA offers more than 350 pediatric specialty programs and services, and provides more than $316.2 million in community benefits each year to children and families.