Metal in baby food poses risk of heavy metal ingestion

Of all food categories, it may be safe to say that ensuring the purity of baby foods and making sure there are no toxic ingredients or heavy metals in baby food should be one that’s a major priority. However, a national investigation in 2019 revealed that toxic metals were found in 95 percent of tested baby foods, and an updated study published in 2023 showed that, “while the amounts of lead, arsenic, and cadmium in baby foods seem to be decreasing, the overall risk hasn’t significantly altered in the past five years, according to new tests by Consumer Reports.”

The fact that heavy metals exist in baby food was unearthed a decade ago, yet we assumed measures would be taken to address this crucial health issue. It’s true that efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with baby food companies and nonprofit organizations, have been underway to reduce metal in baby food products.

Although we’ve witnessed some progress since 2011, there’s still a long way to go before baby food can be declared completely safe.

What do these studies tell us about the risk of toxic baby food exposure and how it might impact your child’s health? Many parents and public health advocates are seeking answers.

Studies: Heavy Metal in Baby Food

When 168 baby foods produced by 61 different brands were tested by Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF), toxic heavy metals were detected in 95 percent of them.

How many baby foods were contaminated with heavy metals? Researchers found that:

• 94 percent contained lead
• 75 percent contained cadmium
• 73 percent contained arsenic
• 32 percent contained mercury

The report also indicates that one in four baby foods contained all four toxic heavy metals. Among the 168 samples:

• 26 percent contained four metals
• 40 percent contained three metals
• 21 percent contained two metals
• 8 percent contained one metal
• 5 percent (only nine samples) contained zero metals

Why were these four metals tested? They all possess a unique significance as developmental neurotoxins.

These metals can harm a child’s developing brain and nervous system, and metal in baby food may even cause permanent loss of intellectual capacity. Additionally, consuming these toxic metals can also lead to behavioral problems, such as ADHD.

According to this study, the lead and arsenic in rice-based foods alone account for one-fifth of the more than 11 million IQ points that children lose from birth to 24 months old from all dietary sources.

When new containers of 25 foods were sent to a separate lab for heavy metal testing, scientists detected another neurotoxic pollutant in 19 of 25 foods: perchlorate.

Perchlorate disrupts thyroid functions that are crucial for brain development and has also been linked to IQ loss.

As a follow-up of sorts, Consumer Reports (CR) “retested seven baby foods that had concerning levels five years ago” and 14 products overall “representing a mix of fruits and vegetables; meals and entrees; and snacks, such as bars, puffs, and teething wafers.”

The researchers for CR determined that baby food products made with rice, sweet potatoes and carrots pose the greatest risk for heavy metal contamination.

Most Dangerous Baby Foods to Avoid

The HBBF test results show that 15 foods account for more than half of the heavy metal in baby food risk. Here’s a breakdown of the most dangerous baby foods, according to this most recent report:

1. Rice-based foods, including infant rice cereal, rice dishes and rice-based snacks
2. Apple juice
3. Grape juice
4. Fruit juice blend (100 percent juice)
5. Cheerios and oat ring cereal
6. Macaroni and cheese
7. Puff snacks and teething biscuits
8. Soft cereal bars
9. Oatmeal cookies
10. Fruit yogurt
11. Sweet potato baby food

The study authors also point out that choosing organic baby food products doesn’t necessarily guarantee lower levels of toxic metals.

According to HBBF and past studies on metal in baby food, organic standards don’t address these contaminants. Heavy metals are naturally present in both soil and water, and pesticides, fertilizers, airborne contaminants and industrial operations only exacerbate these levels.

Among the 61 baby food brands that were tested, some were organic brands, including Plum Organics, Beech Nut and Earth’s Best.

This means that organic baby food and even homemade baby food aren’t immune to these heavy metals, unless you use the safest baby foods recommended by HBBF and other organizations.

In addition, the CR report found that while some levels of heavy metals decreased, other levels of metal in baby food actually increased between the 2019 report and its 2023 report. As the study authors explained:

For example, in Gerber Chicken Rice Dinner, arsenic levels dropped by 22 percent, and the levels were so low that we didn’t test for inorganic arsenic—the most harmful type. But we detected lead this time, where we hadn’t in our 2018 tests. That may be because the technology for detecting heavy metals has become more sensitive, but the lead we detected in our new tests was enough to change our daily limit from less than one serving per day to less than half a serving per day. (Because we can now measure lower levels of lead than we could in 2018, we can’t say whether the levels of lead in this product increased or decreased.)

Similarly, for Happy Baby Organics Superfood Puffs, Purple Carrot & Blueberry, cadmium levels declined by 34 percent, and inorganic arsenic levels dropped by 45 percent. But those arsenic levels are still relatively high, and lead levels increased by 60 percent. Our daily limit for these changed only slightly, from less than a serving per day in 2018 to less than 1.5 servings a day.

What Parents Can Do (How to Avoid Toxic Metals)

According to the HBBF report, “only a dramatically accelerated pace at the FDA and the realization of the new Baby Food Council’s pursuit of industry-wide change will be sufficient to finally solve the problem.”

This is an issue that has been known for nearly a decade, and although measures have been taken to limit heavy metal exposure in foods, clearly there’s much more work to be done.

In the meantime, HBBF has made recommendations on what parents can do to make safer baby food choices. These safer choices are said to contain 80 percent less arsenic, lead and other toxic heavy metals than other “riskier picks.”

Here are the five action steps you can take to reduce your child’s exposure to heavy metals:

1. Choose rice-free snacks: Opt for diced fruits and veggies or rice-free crackers.
2. Avoid teething biscuits made with rice: Instead of rice biscuits for teething babies, choose other soothing foods, like chilled cucumber and frozen banana. You can also use a clean, wet washcloth or cold spoon.
3. Opt for multigrain infant cereals, oatmeal, barley and quinoa.
4. Offer filtered tap water instead of fruit juice.
5. Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Consumer Reports offers some additional suggestions, including:

1. Vary the types of foods your child eats in general.
2. Serve a rotation of many different vegetables and whole grains.
3. Instead of using packaged foods with rice, make your own rice cooked in a large amount of water (similar to how you cook pasta), which “can reduce the arsenic content by 40 to 60 percent,” according to the FDA.
4. Limit intake of apple and grape juice.
5. Minimize baby snack foods, particularly highly processed ones.

Healthy Nutrition Options

Nutrition for babies is extremely important as this is a time of significant development. If there’s one major takeaway from these studies on heavy metal in baby foods, it’s that rice-based foods should be avoided.

Instead of choosing rice-based snacks, offer your child snacks that are rich in nutrients and low in metals. Dicing, mashing or soft-cooking nutrient-dense foods is a healthier option.

This can also be done if you’re using the baby-led weaning method. Try these recommended safe baby foods:

• avocado
• pumpkin
• green beans
• beets
• zucchini
• parsnips
• peas
• apples
• bananas
• berries
• grapes (cut length-wise)
• peaches
• beans
• hard-boiled eggs

Adding meat and high-protein foods to your child’s diet is also important. Some of the best options include:

• turkey
• chicken
• beef
• fish (except shellfish)
• lentils
• beans
• diluted peanut butter

According to CR, some of the best low-metal options to feed babies include:

• infant cereals made from oats and other whole grains (except rice)
• fresh and frozen fruit
• peas, green beans and butternut squash
• baby food meats
• eggs
• beans
• unsweetened applesauce
• cheese
• yogurt

Conclusion

• A 2019 study conducted by Healthy Babies Bright Futures tested 168 baby food products from 61 different brands for heavy metal contaminants. Researchers found that 95 percent of the products contained arsenic, lead, cadmium or mercury.
• Twenty-six percent of the foods tested contained all four of the heavy metals and only 5 percent contained zero metals.
• A 2023 updated study by Consumer Reports found that some levels of metal in baby food have decreased, but others have increased — resulting in the risk remaining relatively unchanged.
• These studies suggest that more needs to be done by the FDA and baby food companies to limit a child’s exposure to toxic metals that can lead to lower IQ and other developmental issues, along with mercury poisoning and other metal poisoning.
• In addition, parents should be cautious to limit or avoid feeding children foods more likely to contain heavy metals and opt for healthier, safer foods.