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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”
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.
Conclusion: 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.
🌿 On this page I listed the safest brands on the market that reach my criteria:
✅ USDA Certified organic: that means made with at least 95% organic ingredients 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
✅ Artificial Vitamins-free
✅ 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 focus on nutrients and include healthy fats, quality meats, and vegetables. Fats are essential for nutrient absorption, brain development, hormone regulation, and building the immune system. Meat is easily digestible for babies and provides a more efficient source of protein compared to other foods. By prioritizing meat, fat, and vegetables over sugary fruits, beans, and grains, you can support your baby’s energy and mood.
Healthier babies tend to sleep better at night, cry less frequently, get sick less often, have a diverse diet, and experience healthy, consistent stools. Therefore, it is crucial to feed them properly so they can grow up happy, healthy, and strong!
Good quality fats, such as avocado and olive oil, are vital; your baby needs about 30 grams of fat per day. This intake supports brain development, hormone regulation, and immune system building. Fats also aid your baby’s digestive system in absorbing fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K.
Additionally, fats are satiating foods, which means your baby will feel full longer, leading to longer and higher-quality sleep at night. While babies naturally enjoy sweeter foods, the high sugar content in fruit can be excessive for their small bodies.
Vegetables provide essential vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber, often surpassing the benefits of fruits. By choosing vegetables, meat, and fat over fruit purees, you will ensure more balanced nutrition and fewer blood sugar crashes.
Every bite matters. Opt for foods that are easy to absorb and nutrient-dense. Meat is rich in protein, zinc, iron, and B vitamins, and babies have all the enzymes necessary to digest meat effectively. Furthermore, amino acids from animal protein are more readily absorbed than those from vegetables.
✅ Serenity Kids since they are very strict with the heavy metal testing, independently tested by Clean Label Project
🌿USDA Certified Organic Certification, it has both the “Clean Label Project Purity Award & Pesticed Free Awards”
Internal Testing & 3rd Party Tested for Heavy Metals
Clean Label Project Purity Award
Clean Label Project Pesticide Free Award
Please shop with my links to support my research! 💖
15% off code: PRETTYORGANICGIRL
🌿 Serenity Kids is another of my top Baby Food recommendations! Since the FDA does not have standards to regulate heavy metals across all baby food segments, we need to pick brands that self-regulate using the strictest tests! ✅ Serenity Kids is Clean Label Project verified. Independently tested for 200+ contaminants ✅ Their suppliers conduct testing on their soil and undergo the most rigorous Food Safety audit SQF Level III ✅ Triple-tested for quality: they review the results of the raw ingredient testing and test a few times the final products
✅ It is one of the very few brands to be citric acid-free
INGREDIENTS: Chicken: Organic Pea, Organic Carrot, Organic Free Range Chicken, Water, Organic Avocado Oil.
Roots: Organic Carrot, Organic Sweet Potato, Water, Organic Beet, Organic Olive Oil
🌿 This is today, the fastest-growing baby food brand on the market. It is my number one choice: this is the only one brand that meets all my criteria:
✅100% USDA-Certified Organic ✅EU Standards ✅Clean Label Project™ ✅Triple-tested for quality
Here is their new smoothie collection: 🌿Organic veggies, herbs, & spices 🌿Grain-free, rice-free, gluten-free 🌿Dairy-free with organic coconut cream 🌿5g of protein with grass-fed collagen 🌿Low in Sugar: 4g of sugar, 0g added INGREDIENTS:
💛Sweet Potato Spice: Organic Sweet Potato, Organic Coconut Cream, Water, Organic Spinach, Organic Beet, Hydrolyzed Grass Fed Bovine Collagen, Organic Turmeric, Organic Ginger, Organic Cardamom. Contains: Tree Nut (Coconut)
🧡Pumpkin Spice: Organic Pumpkin, Organic Sweet Potato, Organic Coconut Cream, Water, Hydrolyzed Grass Fed Bovine Collagen, Organic Dried Vanilla Extract, Organic Cinnamon, Himalayan Sea Salt, Organic Nutmeg. Contains: Tree Nut (Coconut)
💙Berry Butternut: Organic Butternut Squash, Organic Coconut Cream, Organic Blueberries, Water, Organic Spinach, Hydrolyzed Grass Fed Bovine Collagen, Organic Lemon Juice. Contains: Tree Nut (Coconut)
💗Beet & Carrot: Organic Carrot, Organic Beet, Organic Coconut Cream, Water, Hydrolyzed Grass Fed Bovine Collagen, Organic Dried Vanilla Extract, Organic Lemon Juice, Organic Ginger. Contains: Tree Nut (Coconut)
Packed with the good stuff, made with organic veggies, and grass-fed meats, an average 5g of protein & contains no added sugar.
Products made with healthy fats from sources like olive oil & avocado oil, to support fat fuels brain development and growth.
They believe regenerative agriculture is the gold standard.
They are made with incredibly clean and simple ingredients
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken: Organic Pea, Organic Carrot, Organic Free Range Chicken, Water, Organic Avocado Oil.
✅ One of my top brand recommendations is Serenity Kids since they are very strict with heavy metal testing, independently tested by Clean Label Project.
🌿Introducing Serenity Kids Grass Fed A2 Whole Milk Toddler Formula - a nutrient-rich, easy-to-digest formula - made with a unique combination of A2 protein, quality fats, carbohydrates, and a variety of essential prebiotics, vitamins, and minerals.
Grass-Fed Organic A2 Whole Milk
Nutrient-Rich Fats
Organic Lactose
Prebiotics (HMOs, GOS, FOS)
5 Nucleotides
DHA & ARA (non hexane extracted)
Better Vitamin Sources
Intended for children 12 months+
MADE WITHOUT: Corn or Rice Syrup, Industrial Seed Oils, Synthetic Folic Acid, Grains, Soy, GMOs, and Gluten.
What is amazing about them is their testing process:
Clean Label Project Purity Award & Pesticide Free Award
INGREDIENTS: Organic Lactose, Organic A2 Whole Milk Powder, Organic Galactooligosaccharides, Organic Whey Protein Concentrate, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Palm Oil, Organic Cocoa Butter, Less than 2% of: Human Milk Oligosaccharides (2'-fucosyllactose, Lacto-N-neotetraose), Organic Inulin, Algal Oil, Organic Sunflower Lecithin, Organic Egg Lecithin, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Nucleotides (Adenosine-5-Monophosphate, Cytidine-5-Monophosphate, Disodium Guanosine-5-Monophosphate, Disodium Inosine-5-Monophosphate, Disodium Uridine-5-Monophosphate), Choline Bitartrate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Magnesium Phosphate, Inositol, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Methylcobalamin, d-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacinamide, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Copper Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid, L-Methylfolate, Kelp Powder, Manganese Glycinate, Phylloquinone, Sodium Selenite, Biotin, Vitamin D3, Vitamin D2. (*indicates organic)