Warnings About Baby Food

Toxic metals found in baby food!

Do you have a baby or grandbaby who eats commercial baby food? Then please read on. This post will help you choose safer baby food products. 

 First, the breaking news. Investigators on a committee in the US congress reported in early 2021 that testing found high levels of arsenic, lead, and cadmium in baby foods. Although levels of these heavy metals are regulated by the FDA in bottled water, there is no regulation in baby foods (except for arsenic in rice cereal). 

For a point of comparison, the FDA says that lead and cadmium should not exceed 5 ppb in bottled water. But in baby food? 

 Many tested products contained these metals in concentrations exceeding 100 ppb. That’s 20 times the level considered to be safe in bottled water!!!
If you’re thinking that everything’s fine because you buy organic baby food, think again. Happy Family Organics and Earth’s Best Organics were two of the companies that provided test results in this investigation. Three organic brands refused to even respond. Healthy-sounding snacks, like Nurture Happy Baby’s apple and broccoli puffs or strawberry and beet puffs, contained high levels of arsenic. 

The source of heavy metals is sometimes the actual grains or fruits or vegetables, but more often it is vitamin mixes and enzymes. One company reported using a vitamin mix that contained 3000 ppb of cadmium and an enzyme mix that contained 5000 ppb of lead.  

There is no amount of heavy metals that should be considered safe for infants. These metals have been linked to developmental problems, neurological injury, brain damage, and cancer later in life. 

The investigation found that rice, carrots, and sweet potatoes were the worst offenders when it came to heavy metal contamination. Puffs were also bad.  If buying commercial baby food, opt for products without these ingredients. Better yet? Make your baby food at home. 

Reference

US House of Representatives. Baby Foods are Tainted with Dangerous Levels of Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury. February 2021. https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2021-02-04%20ECP%20Baby%20Food%20Staff%20Report.pdf