Baby food from some of the country’s largest producers is “contaminated” by toxic heavy metals, according to a disturbing new government report.
The report, published on Thursday morning, says that these baby foods have “significant levels” of substances, including lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. Metals can be especially dangerous for the development of the brains of babies and young children.
Parents often say they are looking for the healthiest and safest food for their babies. But as Connecticut’s mother, Carrie Kerner, found out, it’s hard to look for something you might not even be aware of.
“I just looked for the ingredients,” Kerner told CBS News consumer inquiry correspondent Anna Werner. “If preservatives, sweeteners or added sugars were added, I wouldn’t buy it, so basically I just want to get organic.”
Kerner had her first child, Chloe, a year ago. Since then, she’s said she’s been paying close attention to what’s in Chloe’s food.
One of the things Kerner and her husband Bryan, who is a doctor, never worried about was whether baby food contained toxic metals.
She said the revelation was “very worrying as a new mother.”
“That’s the least thing a mother wants to think about. You’re already worried about her suffocation – what’s going into these foods,” Kerner said.
However, a new investigation by the congressional subcommittee found major concerns about the presence of metals in baby food. The report says “baby food is contaminated with dangerous levels” of “toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury.”
Researchers say the developing brains of babies and young children are “only vulnerable” to toxic chemicals, which can cause “permanent brain damage.” Disturbing risks include lowering IQ, problems at school and even criminal behavior later in life.
Illinois Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi told CBS News that getting heavy metals from baby food is essential.
“I don’t know a mother or father who wants neurotoxins in their children’s food,” he said.
Investigators asked seven US baby food manufacturers to provide internal documents and test results.
Of the four that did, all showed the presence of lead, arsenic and cadmium in their own test results – at levels the report indicates the maximum “eclipsed” levels set for other products.
Compared to the levels allowed by the FDA in bottled water, the report argues, the results were “up to 91 times the level of arsenic”, “up to 69 times the level of cadmium” and “up to 177 times the level of of lead ”.
CBS News asked those companies for comments and all respondents said they were dedicated to safety.
All responding companies also said that they either meet government standards or have developed their own internal quality and testing standards, or both. Several said they were part of the Child Nutrition Council, a group set up to voluntarily reduce heavy metals in baby food.
However, the problem is not new – Consumer Reports did its own testing of 50 baby foods distributed nationwide in 2018, finding that “each product had measurable levels of at least one” of three heavy metals, and 68% ” they had worrying levels of at least one heavy metal. “
James Dickerson of Consumer Reports says there aren’t too many alarms because these heavy metals occur naturally.
“That’s the real problem. You want to minimize the risk, you can’t eliminate it completely, but you can minimize it. And we can take action,” Dickerson said.
He tells parents to limit rice and sweet potato products, which tend to absorb more pollutants because of the way they are grown. Dickerson also recommends avoiding snacks such as biscuits and puff pastry, which in the Consumer Reports survey had higher levels of heavy metals and varied their child’s diet.
Congressman Krishnamoorthi believes that voluntary entry efforts are not enough. He intends to introduce legislation to intensify FDA oversight.
“So now we need the FDA to break through and do what I think American people think it is, it’s their job to do,” he said. “Which is to make sure the food your babies eat is safe.”
For worried parents who are wondering if they should throw away baby food – experts say no, there is no need to panic if the products are in the pantry and the key is moderation.
When asked for an answer, the FDA said it was working to reduce exposure to toxic elements in food, but acknowledged that much remained to be done.
According to Healthy Babies Bright Futures, a group dedicated to “measurably reducing the greatest sources of exposure of babies to toxic chemicals,” nearly nine out of ten baby foods tested had no applicable federal safety limit for these heavy metals.
The FDA has been briefed by the report released today by the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy for Oversight and Reform in the US House of Representatives and is reviewing its findings.