Organic Baby Food 

Baby Food And Heavy Metals 

They have found many baby formula 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

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 FDAand the US Environmental Protection Agency, the congressional investigators found.

 

According to CNN these are the additional companies and their brands investigated:

  • Neptune Wellness Solutions (Canadian cannabis company): Sprout Organic Foods

  • Campbell Soup CompanyPlum Organics

  • WalmartParent’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:

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 the proposed levels of arsenic by the FDA. The Earth’s Best formula did not have the highest levels of heavy metals. 

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 a number of 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.

Conclusion While it is unacceptable that no one is regulating this, it is up to us to educate ourselves and do research.

California Law AB 899

⭐ 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.

 

California Assembly Bill 899 (AB 899) requires baby food manufacturers to test for and disclose heavy metals in their products. The law applies to baby food sold or distributed in California. 

  • TestingManufacturers must test a representative sample of their baby food for lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury at least once a month. 
  • DisclosureManufacturers must make the test results publicly available on their website. 
  • LabelingManufacturers must meet specific labeling requirements. 

 

Beginning January 1, 2024, baby food manufacturers must test a representative sample of their final baby food products for levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury at least once a month.

Beginning January 1, 2025, manufacturers must disclose on their internet website the following for baby food products sold, manufactured, delivered, held, or offered for sale in the state:

  • The name and level of the toxic elements (arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury) present in each production aggregate of their final baby food product.
  • Descriptive information (e.g., product name, universal product code, size, lot numbers, or batch numbers) to enable accurate identification of the final baby food product by consumers.

The Best and Safest Organic Baby Food 

🌿 On this page, I listed the safest brands on the market that meet my criteria:

  • USDA Certified organic: that means made with at least 95% organic ingredient,s and pesticides and GMOs are not allowed

  • California Proposition 65 warning-free

  • Natural flavors-free: undisclosed mix of ingredients

  • Rice-free: because it contains arsenic

  • No Artificial Vitamins added 

  • Citric Acid-free

  • Internal Testing & 3rd-Party Tested for Heavy Metals

  • ✅ Clean Label Project Purity Award & Pesticide Free Award

 

A baby’s first foods should be nutrient-focused and include healthy fats, quality meats, and vegetables. Fat is essential for nutrient absorption, brain development, hormone regulation, and building the immune system. Meat is not only totally digestible for babies, but it is a far more efficient source of protein than any other food we eat. Prioritizing meat, fat, and vegetables over sugary fruits, beans, and grains will help your baby’s energy and mood. Healthier babies will sleep better through the night, rarely cry, hardly will ever get sick, will eat anything, and will have healthy, consistent stools. Every bite counts. Choose foods that are easy to absorb and nutrient-dense. Meat is high in protein, zinc, iron, and B vitamins. Your baby’s stomach contains all the enzymes necessary to digest meat. Amino acids in animal protein are better absorbed than protein from vegetables.

That’s why it is important to know how to feed them and to grow them up happy, healthy, and strong!

 

🌿Good quality fats such as avocado and olive oil: your baby needs 30g of fat per day! This supports brain development and hormone regulation and builds the immune system. Fat is also needed for your baby’s digestive system to absorb fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K.

Fats are satiating foods, which means your baby will feel full longer and get a longer, higher-quality night’s sleep.

 

🌿Veggie: Choosing veggies, meat, and fat over fruit purees means more balanced nutrition and fewer blood sugar crashes. Your baby naturally enjoys sweeter foods, but the high sugar content in fruit can be excessive for their tiny bodies. Vegetables contain the same important vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber as fruits and then some! Choosing veggies, meat, and fat over fruit purees means more balanced nutrition and fewer blood sugar crashes.

My number one organic baby food brand recommendations are:

 

🌿 Square Baby 20% off code: PRETTYORGANICGIRL. Considered the Most Transparent Baby Food Brand since publicly shares the California law (AB-899) testing requirements on its website

 

🌿 Serenity Kids since they are very strict with the heavy metal testing, are independently tested by Clean Label Project. They are very strict with the heavy metal testing, independently tested by the Clean Label Project. It has both the “Clean Label Project Purity Award & Pesticide Free Awards”

  • ✅ Internal Testing & 3rd-Party Tested for Heavy Metals

  • ✅ Clean Label Project Purity Award 

  • ✅ Clean Label Project Pesticide-Free Award

 

 

 

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The Best and Safest Organic Baby Cereal

My number one organic baby Cereal brand recommendation is:

 

 

For my favorite baby products on Amazon here: Amazon Baby Page

Shop with my links to support my research!💖