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Heavy Metals in Baby Food

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News about heavy metals found in baby food can leave parents with a lot of questions.

Here's some information from the American Academy of Pediatrics about the risk of toxic metal exposure to children, and how to help minimize it.

Can heavy metals in baby food harm my baby?

The low levels of heavy metals found in baby foods likely are a relatively small part of a child's overall toxic metal exposure risk. However, exposure from all sources should be minimized. Toxic metal exposure can be harmful to the developing brain. It's been linked with problems with learning, cognition and behavior. But keep in mind that many genetic, social, and environment factors influence healthy brain development, and toxic metal exposure is just one of these factors.

How do heavy metals get into foods?

Metals are found naturally in the Earth's crust. They also are released into our environment as pollution and get into the water and soil used to grow food. Metals can also get into food from food manufacturing and packaging. Some of the most common metals that get into food, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, include inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury.

How can I reduce my baby's exposure to toxic metals?

Stronger rules and regulations for testing and limiting the amount of heavy metals in foods for babies and toddlers are most important. But there are several steps parents can take now to reduce the risk that kids will be exposed to toxic metals in their diet, and from other sources:

Serve a variety of foods. Give your child a well-balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables (wash in cool water before preparing and serving), grains and lean protein. Eating a variety of healthy foods that are rich in essential nutrients can lower the exposure to toxic metals and other contaminants found in some foods.
Read the labels. Multi-ingredient baby food blends may be a good option. Be aware that many have the same first or second ingredient, though. Different flavor blends, like kale/pear and spinach/pumpkin, for example, may actually both have sweet potatoes as their first ingredient. It's important to read the ingredients label to be sure you are offering a true variety of foods.
Switch up your grains. Fortified infant cereals can be a good source of nutrition for babies, but rice cereal does not need to be the first or only cereal used. Rice tends to absorb more arsenic from groundwater than other crops. You can include a variety of grains in your baby's diet, including oat, barley, couscous, quinoa, farro, and bulgur. Multi-grain infant cereals can be a good choice. Try to avoid using rice milk and brown rice syrup, which is sometimes used as a sweetener in processed toddler foods.

Check your water. Heavy metals can get into tap water: for example, arsenic can contaminate well water, and older pipes may contain lead. You can contact your local health department to have your water tested if this is a concern.
Breastfeed if possible. Breastfeeding, rather than formula feeding, also can help reduce exposure to toxic metals. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends breastfeeding as the sole source of nutrition for your baby for about 6 months.
Avoid fruit juice. Offer toddlers and young children sliced or pureed whole fruits rather than juice. Some fruit juices can contain concerning levels of heavy metals. Plus, juice is high in sugar and not as nutrient rich as whole fruit. Stick with breast milk or formula for babies under 6 months old, and water and milk after they reach age 1.
Make healthy fish choices. Some types of fish can be high in a form of mercury called methylmercury, and other metals. Of most concern are large, predatory fish that eat other fish and live longer, such as shark, orange roughy, swordfish, and albacore/white tuna. Eating too much contaminated fish can harm a child's developing nervous system. But fish is also an excellent source of protein and other nutrients children need, and many are low in mercury. Look for better options like light tuna (solid or chunk), salmon, cod, whitefish, and pollock.
Variety is important for homemade baby food, too. There are several benefits to making your own baby food fresh at home: it can be cost-effective, avoids potential contaminants from processing or packaging, and you can choose the ingredients. But keep in mind that offering a variety of foods is just as important when making your own baby food as when shopping for prepared baby foods.
Address lead hazards in your home. There are other important ways to help reduce your baby's exposure to toxic metals. The most common source of lead exposure, for example, is from peeling or chipping paint from older homes. Soil, some cosmetics and spices, water, and certain occupations and hobbies can also be sources of exposure. Find more information about lead here.
Don't smoke or vape. Secondhand and thirdhand smoke from both regular and e-cigarettes, may expose children to metals such as cadmium and lead. Vaping allows toxic metals from the vape coils to get into the air and be inhaled. Secondhand smoke also contains harmful chemicals that can increase the risk of cancer.

Is organic baby food better?

Organic baby foods may have lower levels of certain pesticides and other chemicals. Because heavy metals are found in the soil and can get into prepared foods from processing, however,organic foods often contain similar levels of heavy metals as non-organic foods.

Should my baby be tested for heavy metal exposure?

Until more information about metals in baby foods becomes available, experts say there's no need to get children tested. Tests that look at a child's hair for toxic metal exposure also are not recommended, since this type of testing is scientifically unproven and often inaccurate.

Talk with your pediatrician

If you're concerned about heavy metals in baby food, talk with your pediatrician. Your regional Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) have staff who can also talk with parents about concerns over environmental toxins.

More information

Starting Solid Foods
Choosing Healthy Snacks for Toddlers
Ask the Pediatrician: Is it OK to make my own baby food?
Food Additives: What Parents Should Know
AAP: Babies Should Eat a Varied Diet to Protect Against Heavy Metals in Commercial, Homemade food
Heavy Metals in Baby Food and Fruit Juice: Advice for Parents From Environmental Pediatricians
Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs)

Last Updated: 8/12/2022

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics (Copyright © 2021)

The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

Toxins in Baby Food: What Parents Can Do

Baby food is incredibly important to developing little bodies and minds. Learn which baby food brands are safest, and what you can do to minimize exposure to toxins in baby food.

Parents across America were stunned by the recent report about toxins in baby food. The Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy Committee on Oversight and Reform (full report here) requested the seven largest baby food makers in the U.S. to submit internal documents and testing results of their baby foods.

Four companies (Happy Baby, Gerber, Earth’s Best and Beech-Nut) responded with the requested documentation and three companies refused to cooperate (Parent’s Choice, Sprout Organic, and Plum Organics).

Analyzed baby food was found to have significant levels of heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmium.

As I read the report, I surprised to see the list of baby foods with high heavy metal levels, and I was disheartened that we have a baby food industry that lacks regulation.

As we nourish our precious little ones, nothing is more important than their safe consumption of first foods.

In this article, I’ll cover which heavy metals were found in baby food and what the implications are for baby, the types of baby food that contain heavy metals, the potential impact to baby, and what parents can do to mitigate the risk of heavy metal exposure.

Photo by Rachel Loughman | Unsplash

What are the Heavy Metals in Baby Food?

The report highlighted 4 main toxins in baby food. They were arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmium.

Babies are particularly sensitive to heavy metal exposure because their brains are growing and developing. According to FDA, “even low levels of harmful metals from individual food sources, can sometimes add up to a level of concern. ”

Arsenic in Baby Food

Inorganic arsenic is present in baby rice cereal. This was something highlighted years ago by Consumer Reports and I wrote about it here.

Arsenic occurs in soil naturally and is especially absorbed in plants that grow in water, like rice.

Arsenic was found in all the baby foods reviewed in the report on heavy metals in baby food.

Lead

This is the second most impactful neurotoxin on the brain. We’ve known about the dangers of lead for children for years. Personally, I’ve lived in antique homes and lead paint was always a real concern for my children.

Pediatricians check for lead in young children during routine health checks.

Lead was present in all the baby foods reviewed in the report.

Mercury

If you’re a fish eater, you know the concerns around mercury exposure. The FDA has guidelines in place for children who eat fish so that exposure to mercury is minimized.

Of the companies who submitted their data, several didn’t routinely test for mercury. Of the companies that did test, mercury was present.

Cadmium

Cadmium gets into soil from the air and rain. Grains, leafy vegetables and root crops seem to collect the most cadmium, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Cadmium was present in all the baby foods evaluated in the report.

Which Types of Baby Food Contain Heavy Metals?

Products such as baby food in jars and pouches, infant formulas, infant cereals, baby snack foods like puffs and teething biscuits, and juices are all potential carriers of arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmium.

Grown in water-flooded conditions, rice is more receptive and apt to absorb arsenic into its roots. Because arsenic is present in soil, you can find trace levels of arsenic in fruits, and vegetables, too.

Another study by Healthy Babies, Bright Futures found that most of the 168 baby food products they tested in 2019 contained one or more heavy metals, and 25% of them contained all four heavy metals.

Rice, juice and sweet potato contained the highest level of contaminants.

Baby snack foods made with rice, like puffs, are also on the “watch” list. As for juice, Consumer Reports found high levels of all four heavy metals in half of the 45 popular juices they tested.

The Dangers to Baby’s Brain Development

Collectively, heavy metals can disturb the normal development of the infant brain.

Small amounts of inorganic arsenic can have a negative impact on brain development. The effect is most pronounced in intelligence quotient (IQ), and more specifically, in verbal language and memory.

Lead may also interfere with brain development, too. Too much exposure can cause learning disabilities, behavior problems, and lower IQ. These consequences appear to be permanent. Lead exposure has also been linked to the development of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Some research ties mercury exposure to autistic behaviors in preschoolers and cadmium exposure is associated with both lower IQ and development of ADHD.

Photo by Rodnae Productions | Pexels

Lack of Industry Standards and “Voluntary” Self-Monitoring

Currently, an upper limit for inorganic arsenic exists at 100 ppb (parts per billion) for infant rice cereal.

The other heavy metals are lacking limits and this is a problem for both consumers and manufacturers.

Some of the companies in the report set their own heavy metal limits and testing protocols. Unfortunately, the report indicated some companies are bringing baby food products to market even though they exceed their self-set limits.

Organic Does NOT Mean Heavy Metal-Free

Many parents feel that “organic” is a safe bet for their babies, but in this scenario, organic does not mean heavy metal free. Parents can count on organic baby food to be free of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, but not heavy metals.

In the Committee report, both conventional and organic baby foods were found to contain toxins.

For parents who might be thinking about making homemade baby food, it’s important to note that even fresh fruits and vegetables (or frozen options) may contain trace amounts of heavy metals.

List of Baby Food with Heavy Metals

The following brands were found to have increased levels of arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmium:

Happy Baby
Gerber
Beech Nut
Earth’s Best

The following companies declined the request for information about their products. It’s unclear whether heavy metals are present, and in what amounts:

Parent’s Choice
Plum Organics
Sprout Foods

Get the Food & Nutrients for Baby’s Brain!

Finding the Safest Baby Food Without Heavy Metals

The Clean Label Project is a non-profit organization devoted to bringing transparency to food products. CLP tests baby food through a third party for heavy metals and other contaminants.

They’ve identified several baby food brands that meet their Clean Label Project Purity Award.

The Clean label Project Purity Award evaluates products for substances that wouldn’t be listed on a product label. These include chemicals of concern and industrial and environmental toxins and contaminants (like heavy metals, pesticide residues, and plasticizers) that have the long-term potential to adversely affect health and well-being.

Best Baby Food Brand

The safest and best baby food brands without heavy metals and that have the Clean Label Project Purity Award are:

Once Upon a Farm
Serenity Foods
Cerebelly
Fresh Bellies
Tiny Human Food

Photo by Yan | Pexels

Keep Your Baby Safe during the Baby Food Recall 2021

I’ve already received several emails from concerned parents. Here’s some steps you can take to reduce the exposure to toxins in baby food:

1. Increase the Variety of Foods You Give to Baby

Food variety is your best defense against heavy metals.

Giving your baby a variety of different food groups and foods within the food groups accomplishes three important tasks:

Introducing a wide range of flavors
Giving the important nutrients your baby needs
Naturally minimizing exposure to heavy metal toxins

Bottom line: Don’t give baby the same foods day after day. Keep rotating!

2. Substitute Rice-Based Baby Products

Steer clear of rice-based products as much as possible. Thankfully, there are lots of non-rice options in the baby food category.

Use iron-fortified baby oats, mixed grains or barley instead of rice cereal. Try quinoa or millet puffs instead of rice-based versions. Avoid rice milk and stick with infant formula or breast milk in the first year.

3. Use Water Instead of Juice

A limit of 4 ounces per day of 100% juice is already recommended for young children, so try to stick with that limit or go for water instead.

4. Don’t Get Stuck in the Baby Food Stage

Infants are on baby food for only a short period of time, about 3 months.

By 9 months, your baby should be moving forward with chopped table food, finger foods, self-feeding, and decreasing his reliance on baby food.

If you’re using the baby led weaning method, you won’t be using baby food at all, or very minimally.

5. Don’t Panic

Baby food today is safer than it was when I was a baby, and when my kids were babies.

Use your common sense and the feeding advice I’ve outlined in The Smart Mom’s Guide to Starting Solids to feed your baby a nutritious diet that will help him grow and develop optimally.

6. Advocate for More Industry Standards and Regulation

The lack of industry standards and regulations for baby food companies puts everyone in a difficult place, especially our babies and families.

We can change that. The following are areas of growth for both the FDA and baby food companies that I support:

Create limits for heavy metals in baby food. (Hello FDA, I’m talking to you.)
Test all baby food products in the infant category for heavy metals. (Ahem, baby food companies.)
Make sure testing occurs at the end of manufacturing to accurately represent the levels of heavy metals.
Provide transparent labeling on packaging and websites so parents may assess heavy metal content and make informed decisions for their babies.

Related to baby food contamination: The Baby Formula Shortage: What’s a Parent to Do?

Is Gerber Baby Food Safe?

The Gerber baby food brand was identified early on as one brand that was tainted with heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury.

The FDA has initiated a “Closer to Zero” program to gradually phase out heavy metals and toxins in baby food.

Is Natural Baby Food Better than Store Bought Baby Food?

Many parents may want to consider making a more natural baby food given the current situation with baby food.

It’s perfectly fine to make your own baby food. I’ve got guidelines for making homemade baby food and some cautions.

What other questions do you have about contaminants in baby food products?

You may also enjoy reading: Is Rice Cereal for Babies Safe?

HEAVY METALS in BABY FOOD: What Every Parent Needs to Do | BABY FOOD TOXIC METALS

Watch this video on YouTube

Need More Nutrition Help?

Check out our on demand library, books and podcast!

This post has been updated to include FAQ and an FDA status update on baby food contamination in September 2022.

Toxic substances in baby food

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Popular brands of baby food products contain arsenic, lead and BPA
Testing of baby food products (including 80% of powdered formula) found arsenic in a study published October 26, 2017.

The Clean Label Project, a non-profit organization that advocates for the safety of baby formulas, tested 530 products purchased during 5 months of 2017. The study found that 65% of the products tested contained arsenic, 36% lead, 60% BPA (the industrial chemical bisphenol A) and 58% cadmium, a naturally occurring toxic metal commonly found in soil and smoking products.

Popular brands such as Gerber, Enfamil, Plum Organics and Sprout have been among the most notorious offenders found to contain harmful ingredients. They scored 2 out of 5 on the Clean Label Project Toxicity Map, which is a wake-up call.

USA Today reports that these chemicals may affect fine motor and cognitive development in children of all ages.

"The baby food industry needs to take better care of America's most vulnerable people," said Jacqueline Bowen, CEO of the Clean Label Project, in an interview.

Arsenic was the most commonly detected during the study and was found in 80% of infant formula samples. But the highest levels of arsenic were found in children's rice-based snacks. According to the World Health Organization, this toxic element can lead to developmental defects, cardiovascular disease, neurotoxic manifestations, diabetes and cancer.

“It is important for consumers to understand that harmful components such as lead and arsenic, which are heavy metals, are already in the environment and cannot be easily removed from food,” said an FDA spokesman. Food and Drug Administration in the US) Peter Cassell in an interview with USA Today.

Due to the fact that rice can actually absorb arsenic from contaminated soil, in 2016 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, USA) proposed a limit on arsenic content of 100 ppb (milligrams per ton) for baby food containing rice. However, these rules are not followed. In the course of the study, in some products, an excess of the permissible content of arsenic by 6 times was revealed.

With regard to lead, any amount found in food is unsafe and can cause IQ decline, behavioral problems and hearing problems. In a recent study by the Environmental Protection Fund, heavy metals were found in 20% of baby food. 89% baby grape, 55% apple juice and 86% sweet potato puree.

In a statement to DailyNews, Nestle (Gerber is a subsidiary) said the report "may raise unnecessary concerns about the safety of baby food" but "does not compromise the quality of infant formula and products" and that "all Gerber products meet or exceed US government standards for quality and safety.”

A list of products tested by CleanLabelProject and a rating for each can be found on the organization's website.

Translation: Valeria Snezhko, https://www.instagram.com/karalera9/

Editor: Anna Senko, https://instagram.com/annasenko_consultant?igshid=152lu4jvilitj

Link to the material: https://www .nydailynews.com/life-style/popular-baby-formulas-foods-arsenic-lead-bpa-article-1.3587740

Homemade baby food is as toxic as store-bought

There are no “any chemicals” in your own kitchen, but that the most "all chemistry" is contained in the products themselves.

Homemade baby food made from commercial products will not reduce the amount of toxic heavy metals in food. American researchers came to this conclusion.

See also: Unhealthy food: six unhealthy foods in your kitchen.

“We found no evidence that homemade baby food made with store-bought foods is better than store-bought baby food when it comes to heavy metal contamination,” said study co-author Jane Houlihan.

Worked by an alliance of non-profit organizations, scientists and donors. The researchers tested 288 products purchased from stores and farmers' markets across the United States. They bought cereals, fruits and vegetables.

Products tested for lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium. These heavy metals are among the World Health Organization's top 10 chemicals of concern for children's health. Exposure to toxic metals can be harmful to the developing brain. This has been associated with problems in learning, cognition, and behavior,” reports the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The researchers also looked at 7,000 additional food tests from the US Food and Drug Administration.

All homemade baby food contains heavy metals

The results showed that 94% of baby food made from purchased raw foods contained one or more heavy metals. Lead has been found in 90% of purchased baby food and 80% of homemade food. At the same time, there is no safe level of lead.

Arsenic has been found in 68% of store-bought baby food. And in 72% of food prepared at home. Cadmium has been found in 65% of purchased baby food and 60% of homemade food. Mercury was found in 7% of store-bought food and 10% of homemade food.

The new report is a continuation of the 2019 study. At that time, Healthy Babies, Bright Futures tested 168 products purchased from major baby food manufacturers. This analysis showed that 95% of store-bought baby food contained lead, 73% arsenic, 75% cadmium, and 32% mercury.

A quarter of the products tested last year contained all four heavy metals.

“After this report, we saw many people saying that you can solve this problem by making your own baby food at home. And we decided to check it out,” Houlihan said. “We suspected that we would find heavy metals in all types of food. After all, they are the ubiquitous environmental pollutants. And so it turned out: heavy metals were in products from all departments of the store.

Does buying organic help

Buying organic also doesn't reduce heavy metals. It is “not shocking or surprising,” says Professor Corkins. He explained that it is the soil and water that are contaminated with arsenic and other heavy metals. So it doesn't matter if the farming methods are organic or traditional.

However, buying organic can help avoid other toxins not covered in the new report, such as herbicides and pesticides, said Dr. Leonardo Trasande, director of environmental pediatrics at NYU Langone Health. He also did not take part in the study.

There are other benefits to eating organic food.