Whole foods 365 baby food
Whole Foods Market being sued for selling baby food with lead exposure
By FOX 7 Austin Digital Team
Published
Consumer
FOX 7 Austin
AUSTIN, Texas - Happy Tot's baby food products are said to be safe and organic and sold at Target and Whole Foods but according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday, they contain alarming amounts of lead.
Children who eat just one serving of Happy Tot cheese and spinach ravioli consume more than 12 times the maximum amount of lead a child can be exposed to in one day. There’s more than a day’s maximum acceptable amount of lead exposure in a single Happy Tot apple and spinach fruit snack bar, the lawsuit states.
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Whole Foods, which is headquartered in Austin, and Target are named in the lawsuit because they are the largest sellers of the two Happy Tot products, part of Happy Family Organics.
"Whole Foods wouldn’t sell an apple grown with pesticides, yet they keep selling baby food containing appalling amounts of lead to unsuspecting parents," said Los Angeles attorney who focuses on environmental litigation, Vineet Dubey.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, no safe blood lead level in children has been identified, yet there is no federal standard for lead in baby food. The Washington Post recently reported that national health experts believe lead levels in baby food shouldn’t exceed 1 part per billion (ppb).
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A February 2021 congressional report on heavy metals in baby foods found that almost 20 percent of Happy Family Organics’ finished baby food products contained lead in excess of 10 ppb, with some products testing as high as 641 ppb.
When discussing lead poisoning Dubey says it can, "seriously damage a child’s brain and nervous system, stunt their growth and development, and cause hearing and speech problems.
Lead can impact a child’s ability to learn and also manifest as behavior problems."
Happy Family Organics assures consumers online that all its products pass "rigorous" safety tests: "We can say with the utmost confidence that all Happy Family Organics products are safe for babies and toddlers to enjoy and we are proud to have best-in-class testing protocols in our industry. We only sell products that have been rigorously tested and we do not have products in-market with contaminant ranges outside of the limits set by the FDA."
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These excessive lead levels were uncovered through independent laboratory tests conducted recently on an array of food products to determine if they complied with California’s Prop. 65 toxic warning label law. Prop 65 is the law that forced warning labels on fish known to contain mercury, and on water bottles that leach BPAs.
Neither Happy Tot product, both sold nationally, carry a Prop.
65 warning.
"Let’s be clear: No amount of lead is safe for a child to consume, although low levels are allowed by law due to naturally occurring lead in the soil," Dubey said.
RELATED: Lead found in 20% of baby food, study says
"Not warning parents of dangerous lead levels is a violation of California law, but it’s really a human rights violation. A baby food company should know lead hurts children and should never sell a product with this much lead," Dubey adds.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Ecological Alliance LLC on June 15, 2021, at Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles.
EWG's Food Scores | 365 Whole Foods Market Apple Sweet Potato Organic Baby Food, Apple Sweet Potato
EWG Overall Score Breakdown
The product score is based on weighted scores for nutrition, ingredient and processing concerns. Generally, nutrition counts most, ingredient concerns next and degree of processing least. The weighted scores are added together to determine the final score.
Lower concern
Higher concern
Lower concern
Higher concern
Read our full methodology
Considers calories, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, sodium, protein, fiber and fruit, vegetable and nut content to differentiate between healthful and less healthful foods. For more information on nutrition concerns, read our full methodology.
Good source of naturally occurring iron []
Contains fruit, vegetables, beans or nuts as a primary ingredient []
The nutrition factors used for scoring 365 Whole Foods Market Apple Sweet Potato Organic Baby Food, Apple Sweet Potato
Positive factors
Fruit, vegetable, bean or nut content
Protein content
Fiber content
Omega-3 fatty acids
Negative factors
Calorie density
Sugar/low-calorie sweetener content
Sodium content
Saturated fat content
Trans fat content
Considers food additives, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and contaminants like mercury and BPA, which can affect human health and the environment.
For more information on ingredient concerns, read methodology.
Certified organic product []
No ingredient concerns identified for this product []
Estimates how much the food has been processed. Considers many factors, chief among them, modification of individual ingredients from whole foods and number of artificial ingredients. For more information on processing concerns, read our full methodology.
Product has been classified as having no processing concerns
Products with no processing concerns identified are generally whole foods without additives.
Please note that EWG obtains the displayed images of products from third parties and that the product's manufacturer or packager may change the product's packaging at any point in time. Therefore, EWG assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of images presented.
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0 0.0 % Canned green peas 365 days lettuce - rating 4.
36 according to expert reviews ☑ Composition and producer expertise When evaluating products, we use only expert reviews, which are based on laboratory tests. We do not collect user reviews as they are easy to manipulate. However, you can leave feedback about our study.
Sterilized green salad peas (canned) under the brand name "365 days" produced by LLC "Cannery" by order of LLC "Lenta" in Russia. Variety: not specified. According to the results of laboratory tests, this product has confirmed its compliance with all legal requirements and is recognized as high-quality and safe.
In this product, the grains are whole, of the same caliber, the color of the grains is not uniform. The product has a soft homogeneous consistency, which corresponds to GOST. Vegetable impurities, GMOs and fodder peas were not detected. The peas are packed in high-quality containers (without swelling, dirt, wrinkled edges and rust).
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Manufacturer
Lenta LLC
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Manufacturer
Cannery LLC
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Composition
Dried green peas, drinking water, table salt, granulated sugar, sealant (calcium chloride).
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Barcode
4606088016487
- Protocol
- Act
- Protocol
- Protocol
- Protocol
- Protocol
Roskachestvo experts named the best and worst products of the 365 Days brand from Lenta | Pchela.
news News
Roskachestvo tested the products of another popular brand - "365 days". It can be found only in the stores of the Russian Lenta chain. Under packages with a red marker, there is a wide range of products at low prices, but not all of them are of high quality and safe. What is worth a closer look, and what is better to bypass, experts said.
Top 365 Days Products
Eight products made it to the top of the list, two of which were even awarded the Quality Seal by experts. All products received ratings above 4.5 on a five-point system. However, in some of them, Roskachestvo specialists still found minor flaws. The rating is as follows:
- headless pollock. This product has been awarded the "Seal of Quality" by experts for being safe, and for its appearance, taste and smell in line with the product category. Separately, experts noted that the sample contains omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids;
- Refined deodorized sunflower oil.
The product is of high quality and meets the increased standard of Roskachestvo according to all the parameters studied. There are no phosphorus-containing substances in the oil. Separately, experts noted the low acidity of the product; - Buckwheat. The currently popular product of this brand was also found to be of high quality by the test results. It does not contain impurities, pests, and pesticides. The microbiological parameters of the sample were also normal;
- Pasteurized filtered kvass “Classic”. Free of heavy metals, pathogens, molds, yeasts, preservatives, sweeteners and sweeteners. For naturalness and safety, experts recognized it as of high quality, it was awarded a rating of 5 points;
- Dry dog food "Meat assortment". What our pets eat is also important. Experts recognized this food as safe, because it does not contain GMOs, dyes and preservatives. Also, pests and any impurities were not found under the packaging.
Of the minuses - the product contains few vitamins A and D; - Liver Pate. According to the results of laboratory tests, experts did not find pesticides, heavy metals and toxic elements in the product in quantities hazardous to health. There are also no GMOs. However, traces of the antibiotic oxytetracycline were found in the composition;
- Wafers with chocolate flavor. This product has also been awarded the "Seal of Excellence" by the experts for being safe as it contains no preservatives and is made from quality flour. In addition, the appearance, taste, smell and texture of these wafers correspond to the product category;
- Drying "baby" with poppy seeds. This product is of high quality and safe, as according to the results of laboratory tests, it has confirmed its compliance with legal requirements.
The worst products of the 365 Days trademark
The list of the worst products turned out to be larger than the previous one - it contains nine positions.
Their score is below three on a five-point system. Some Roskachestvo experts even found radical flaws, for example, the content of a non-metallic toxic element - boron. The anti-rating compiled by experts is as follows:
- Pancakes with meat. Although the product is generally safe and contains no preservatives, experts have found that it contains soy and mechanically separated meat. In addition, the claims were caused by the unreliable content of fats and carbohydrates in the sample;
- Nuggets classic. The experts were confused by the low quality of fatty raw materials, as well as an excess of salt in the product. In addition, bone inclusions were found in its composition, as well as soy flour and poultry skin;
- Barbecue ketchup. This product has its advantages, for example, the absence of sweeteners, GMOs and dyes in the composition. At the same time, ketchup contains starch and preservatives, and the proportion of dry substances in it turned out to be relatively low;
- Drinking water for baby food "Baby Ideal" of the highest category, non-carbonated, artesian.
This water is safe for hydrochemical indicators. It did not contain substances hazardous to health in quantities exceeding the permissible limits. However, information about the quality category in the label can be misleading as to its usefulness; - Selected table eggs. Among the advantages of this product, experts noted its microbiological indicators and the optimal content of vitamins in it. However, the mass of eggs did not correspond to the declared. Also, experts were confused by the small amount of omega-3 acid in the sample;
- Packaged cheese “Russian”. In general, the experts recognized it as safe, as it does not contain vegetable fats and antibiotics. However, the acidity of the cheese does not comply with GOST, and its actual fat content is 46.93% with the stated 50%. In addition, experts noted low indicators of taste and smell of the sample;
- Vanilla marshmallow. In fact, this marshmallow has been found to be safe, but undeclared preservatives were found in it.
The experts also noted that the mass fraction of fruit raw materials in the sample is lower than that established by GOST; - Flavored strawberry flavored yoghurt, fat content 1%. Among the advantages, the experts noted the absence of GMOs and vegetable fats in the product, as well as the content of calcium and B vitamins in it. However, in addition to them, the sample showed an excess in the content of yeast and molds;
- Non-carbonated drinking water for baby food "Baby Ideal". Laboratory tests have determined this product to be potentially unsafe because it violates mandatory legal requirements. So, in water, experts recorded a saturated content of boron. Long-term use of this element in high concentrations can cause disorders in digestion, in the functioning of the kidneys and liver.
Let us add that Roskachestvo experts regularly share useful information with Russians. So, earlier they named the best and worst products of the Red Price brand from Pyaterochka and prepared a list of products that can be purchased for future use.
Roskachestvo also makes ratings of various goods. One of them tells which brands of household chemicals and gaskets produced in our country are the best; another lists 17 brands of quality buckwheat.
For information: Roskachestvo is an independent non-profit organization that, on behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation, conducts objective laboratory tests of goods throughout the country. Also, Roskachestvo is the official operator of the Russian Quality Mark.
Other studies of Roskachestvo, which concern not only food, can be found under the tag "Important from Roskachestvo".
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