If you feed your kids baby food, beware: Despite mounting pressure to reduce heavy metals in toddler food products, new Consumer Reports research found that the overall risk of many food products hasn’t improved. .
Five years ago, Consumer Reports tested 50 baby food products and found worrisome levels of heavy metals in most of the products.
Horacio Pérez-Sandoval, a spokesperson for Consumer Reports, explains that “they found that about two-thirds contained enough inorganic arsenic, lead and cadmium combined to be associated with potential health risk.”
Long-term ingestion of heavy metals can lead to an increased risk of various health problems, including lower IQ, behavior problems that have been linked to attention deficit disorder, autism, increased risk of cancer, and other problems in the little kids.
Now, five years later, Consumer Reports retested seven baby foods that had concerning levels of heavy metals in their original tests.
In three of the products, the levels of heavy metals decreased. But for three others, the levels are still high enough to be a cause for concern, according to Consumer Reports. In the last one there was no change.
“In 2018 and in our recent tests, baby snacks like bean bags and products made with sweet potato and rice fared the worst. That’s because certain plants, like rice, absorb higher levels of heavy metals than other plants,” says Horacio Pérez-Sandoval, spokesperson for Consumer Reports.
Beechnut, Gerber, Earth’s Best and Happy Family responded to Consumer Reports saying that their products are safe and that heavy metals occur naturally in the environment in which these foods are grown. For their part, the manufacturers of Baby Mum Mum products did not respond.
Consumer Reports experts believe that even with the levels of heavy metals they found, it’s important to further reduce 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 the key. Make sure your kids eat a wide variety of healthy foods,” Horacio Pérez-Sandoval, spokesperson for Consumer Reports.
According to Consumer Reports, options low in heavy metals include: baby cereals made from oats and other whole grains other than rice, such as fresh or frozen fruit, eggs, beans, applesauce, cheese and yogurt.
Consumer Reports also advises parents to reduce the amount of baby treats, such as tooth puffs and wafers, in their little one’s diets. These are more likely to be high in heavy metals and highly processed foods. Answering us directly, Gerber explained that these metals occur naturally in soil and water and are not added during the production process.
They claim to be working with their farmers to choose optimal growing locations and test their produce, water, ingredients, and food for safety. Beech-nut said he analyzes both raw materials and products in his lab, adding that they have stopped producing rice products due to inconsistencies in arsenic levels. The other companies did not respond.
