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They have found many baby food brands containing hazardous levels of heavy metals in their products.
According to CNN: Arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury are in the World Health Organization’s top 10 chemicals of concern for infants and children. “Dangerous levels of toxic metals like arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury exist in baby foods at levels that exceed what experts and governing bodies say is permissible”
Here are the brands that are being found guilty. Recognize them so you can avoid them.
❌ Happy Baby products; and Hain Celestial Group, Inc., which sells
❌ Earth’s Best Organic baby food, showed levels of heavy metals far above limits set for bottled water by the FDA and the US Environmental Protection Agency, the congressional investigators found.
According to CNN: These are the additional companies and their brands investigated:
❌ Canadian cannabis company Neptune Wellness Solutions: Sprout Organic Foods
❌ Campbell Soup Company: Plum Organics
❌ Walmart: Parent’s Choice baby food
According to ClassAction.org: Gerber Products Co. and Beech-Nut Nutrition Co. also face similar suits.
These three proposed class actions have been filed against the makers of popular baby food products:
❌ against Beech-Nut
❌ against Gerber
❌ against Plum Organics
The subcommittee further noted that Campbell Soup Company, which sells baby food under the brand name Plum Organics); Walmart, Inc., which sells baby food through its private label Parent’s Choice baby food; and Sprout Foods, Inc. “refused to cooperate” with the investigation.
In February 2022, Hain Celestial Group Inc., the maker of a variety of ❌ Earth’s Best organic infant formulas, was the latest company to be hit with a proposed class-action suit in a New York federal court, alleging it misleads parents into believing its premium baby foods are healthy, nutritious, and non-toxic when they actually contain undisclosed dangerous levels of lead and other toxic heavy metals. Read more here.
Coincidently, before these lawsuits, in 2019, an organization called Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF) released a report on new tests of 168 baby foods for heavy metals.
13 baby formulas, including Earth’s Best Organic Sensitivity – DHR/ARA Infant Formula with Iron Organic Milk-Based Powder, were tested for arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. All of them had detectable levels of the heavy metals; however, none of them had levels that exceeded European levels of lead and cadmium in baby food and proposed levels of arsenic by the FDA. The Earth’s Best Formula did not have the highest levels of heavy metals. You can see the report here.
The Healthy Babies Bright Future’s suggestions for parents included reducing the consumption of rice-based baby foods and choosing filtered water over juices. They did not have any actionable advice regarding infant formulas.
❌ Holle Baby Formula is also involved in a class action. According to ClassAction.org, they have been misleading by claiming and advertising its baby foods as “lead-free” and without any “detectable traces” of heavy metals. A proposed class action alleges several products in HolleUSA’s line of baby foods are contaminated with harmful heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead.
FDA Announces Action Levels for Lead in Categories of Processed Baby Foods, but according to CNN: FDA proposes new levels for lead in baby food, but critics say more action is needed.
While it is unacceptable that no one is regulating this, it is up to us to educate ourselves and research.
⭐ In California there is a law that protects consumers from higher levels of heavy metals in any products sold in the state. I can review the products and see if they carry the heavy metals warning.
🌿 Else is one of the best and safest baby brands on the market that reach my criteria:
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Made with real whole foods, almonds, and buckwheat
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INGREDIENTS: Organic Instant Buckwheat Flour, Organic Tapioca Maltodextrin, Organic Almond Butter, Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Rapeseed Oil. Less than - of: Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Organic Sunflower Lecithin, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E Acetate, Phylloquinone (K1), Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Riboflavin (B¬), Niacinamide (B3), Pantothenic Acid (B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B6), Biotin (B8), Folic Acid (B9), Cyanocobalamin (B1), Sodium Ascorbate (C), Ferric Pyrophosphate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Choline Bitartrate, Inositol, Potassium Iodide.
🌿Else Plant-Based Complete Nutrition for Toddlers is USDA Organic and Clean Label Project Purity certified, made with over 80% Real Whole Food Ingredients. Minimally processed to offer maximum nutrition.
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✅ Made with over 80% Real Whole Food Ingredients
Buckwheat: Nutrient-dense, gluten-free pseudograin, primary source of protein and carbohydrate.
Almonds: Primary source of protein, fat, fiber, and Vitamin E.
Tapioca: Easy-to-digest, gluten-free carbohydrate originating from cassava root.
INGREDIENTS: Organic Almond Butter, Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Tapioca Maltodextrin. Less than 2%: Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Citrate Dihydrate, Potassium Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Vitamin A Acetate, Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacinamide (B3), Pantothenic acid (B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B6), Biotin (B8), Folic Acid (B9), Cyanocobalamin (B12), Sodium Ascorbate (C), Cholecalciferol (D3), Vitamin E Acetate, Phylloquinone (K1), Ferric Pyrophosphate, Zinc Sulfate, Choline Bitartrate, Inositol, Sodium Selenate, Potassium Iodide, Organic Sunflower Lecithin, Organic Cane Sugar. Contains Tree Nuts (Almonds)
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✅ USDA organic and free of gluten, dairy, soy, corn syrup, and GMOs
INGREDIENTS: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Almond Butter, Organic Tapioca Maltodextrin, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Less than 2% of: Organic Sunflower Lecithin, Organic Vanilla Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Citrate Dihydrate, Potassium Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E Acetate, Phylloquinone (K1), Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacinamide, Pantothenic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, Sodium Ascorbate, Ferric Pyrophosphate, Zinc Sulfate, Choline Bitartrate, Inositol, Sodium Selenate, Potassium Iodide Allergen Information – Contains Tree Nuts (Almonds)
🌿Else Nutrition’s plant-powered shakes are made with minimally processed ingredients, and packed with proteins, carbs, and fats, along with over 25 vitamins and minerals!
INGREDIENTS: Water, Almond Butter, Buckwheat Flour. Less than 2% of: Sugar, Tapioca Maltodextrin, Natural Flavors, Sunflower Lecithin, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Citrate Dihydrate, Potassium Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Vitamin A Acetate, Cholecalciferol (D3), Vitamin E Acetate, Phylloquinone (K1), Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacinamide (B3), Pantothenic Acid (B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B6), Biotin (B8), Folic Acid (B9), Cyanocobalamin (B12), Sodium Ascorbate (C), Ferric Pyrophosphate, Zinc Sulfate, Choline Bitartrate, Inositol, Sodium Selenate, Potassium Iodide.