Toxic Heavy Metals Found in Baby Food

Of all the foods, baby food should be the safest, right? Wrong. Recently, the FDA has found significant amounts of toxic heavy metals in popular baby foods. The FDA has tested popular baby foods for lead and arsenic and found that most contain levels far higher than what’s considered safe for consumption by infants. Of the more than 300 samples of baby food tested, 90% had detectable levels of lead and 80% had detectable levels of arsenic—and some had alarmingly high levels of both!

Baby food is not as safe as you think.

Toxic metals are present in the normal diet being a natural part of the soil and our food, but only in minuscule quantities. Toxicity is common in some foods such as fish which is easily contaminated with high levels of mercury and water sources which can be polluted with lead. However, baby food was never on the radar for heavy metal toxicity until now.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Dartmouth University has shown that babies who eat baby food containing heavy metals can suffer from developmental delays and autism later in life. Another study was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives and shows that toddlers who consumed more than 7 grams of rice cereal per day for three months had an increased risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by age 2 compared to those who consumed less than 2 grams per day during that same time period.

Children’s brains are still developing and more susceptible to harm than adult brains. The findings suggest that children are particularly vulnerable to harmful effects from exposure to heavy metals during critical periods when their brains are still developing and vulnerable to damage from toxins like mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic.

The FDA conducted an analysis on the baby food brands Nurture, Beech-Nut, Hain, and Gerber to test for the metals arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. Baby food brands Walmart, Campbell, and Sprouts Organic Foods did not reply to the FDA’s testing request which may emphasize their concealment of toxic heavy metal levels being higher than their competition. The FDA is highly concerned about toxic heavy metal contamination specifically in baby foods because neural development is severely impacted at a young age by heavy metals. 

This analysis is important because it helps us better understand how the brain develops in children and what factors can interfere with that development. The researchers also found that exposure to heavy metals may have long-lasting effects on a child’s mental abilities, such as memory performance and language skills.

The result of the FDA study are as follows:

• Arsenic was found in all of the participating baby food brands up to 91% above the safety level
• As much as 309 ppb of arsenic were found in baby food with the recognized safety limit of inorganic arsenic being 10 ppb
• Nurture had over 25% of their baby food products contaminated with arsenic 
• Lead was found in all of the participating baby food brands up to 177% over the safety level 
• As much as 886.90 ppb of lead were found in baby food with the safety limit being under 5 ppb 
• Nurture had almost 20% of their baby food products contaminated with lead
• Cadmium was found in all of the participating baby food brands up to 69% over the safety level
• 65% of Nurture baby food products contained over 5 ppb of cadmium 
• 75% of Gerber carrots contained over 5 ppb of cadmium 
• Nurture baby food was the only one tested for mercury and it was 5 times above the safety level

The results of the FDA analysis are appalling considering how many consumers trust baby food products to feed their children. Nearly 90% of parents use prepackaged baby food at some point to feed their kids under the age of 3. This statistic means that there is a huge number of kids that may or may not be exposed to toxic levels of heavy metals during their life. Not only does cognitive development get delayed from heavy metal toxicity, but diarrhea, nausea, shortness of breath, weakness, and even cancer can result. 

If you’re a parent, you want to do what’s best for your child. That’s why it’s important to keep up with the latest information on food safety.

While some baby food brands may be trusted more than others, it is always best to introduce whole foods to your baby, rather than processed and prepackaged foods. Some foods that are easy to feed your baby include sweet potatoes, yogurt, and bananas. Here is a list of the top 10 healthiest foods for baby-led weaning. Of course, canned baby foods are much more convenient for busy parents, but considering the recent data from the FDA, your child’s safety might be a bigger concern than lack of convenience.

One of the best ways to ensure that you are providing your baby with a healthy diet is to cook fresh foods and puree them yourself. If this isn’t possible, look for baby food brands that use organic ingredients, as well as those that don’t add sugar or salt to their products.