Baby food investigation
It’s a warning every parent needs to hear: The food you might be feeding your baby could contain potentially hazardous heavy metals.
Even with mounting pressure to reduce heavy metals in baby food products, a new Consumer Reports investigation has found that the overall risk hasn’t improved.
Five years ago Consumer Reports tested 50 baby food products and found concerning levels of heavy metals in most of them.
About two-thirds were found to contain enough inorganic arsenic, lead, and cadmium combined to be associated with potential health risks.
The long-term intake of heavy metals can lead to a higher risk of a variety of problems, including a lower IQ and behavioral issues.
It has also been linked to ADHD and autism, an increased cancer risk, and other problems in young children.
CR recently retested seven baby foods that had concerning levels of heavy metals in its original tests.
In three of the products, the level of heavy metals declined. But for three others, the levels were still high enough to be worrisome.
Back in 2018 and in CR’s recent tests, baby snack foods, such as puffs, and products made with sweet potatoes and rice fared the worst.
That’s because certain plants, like rice, absorb higher levels of heavy metals than other plants.
Beechnut, Gerber, Earth’s Best, and Happy Family responded to CR’s findings, saying that their products were safe and that heavy metals are naturally occurring in the environment in which these foods are grown.
The makers of Baby MumMum products did not respond.
CR’s experts say that even at the levels of heavy metals they found, it’s important to minimize exposure and protect your family.
You don’t want to completely eliminate foods like sweet potatoes because they do have nutritional value.
Just remember: Variety is key. Make sure your kids eat a wide variety of healthy foods.
Low heavy-metal options include infant cereals made from oats and other non-rice whole grains, fresh and frozen fruit, eggs, beans, applesauce, cheese, and yogurt.
CR also recommends that parents minimize the amount of baby snacks, like puffs and teething wafers, in their young one’s diet.
These are more likely to be highly processed foods that are high in heavy metals.
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