Which baby food brands contain heavy metals? A new report suggests a decline in toxic substances that cause serious health problems

A recent report published by the Consumer Reports Organization offers shocking insight into several Baby Food brands that still contain heavy metals. While the report also shows a gradual decrease in the amount over the last five years, foods and snacks made with rice, sweet potatoes, and more continue to contain concerning levels of lead, cadmium, and arsenic.

As per the reports published on June 27, 2023, some of the popular baby food and snack brands that continue to contain these heavy metals are Organics Happy Baby, Gerber, Baby Mum-Mum, Earth's Best Organic, and Beechnut Naturals. The four brands contain concerning levels of lead, cadmium, and arsenic, posing potential health risks to children and babies.

Consumer Reports Organization published a new 2023 analysis naming several brands containing high levels of lead, cadmium, and arsenic (Image via Jeffrey Greenberg / Universal Images Group / Getty Images)

For the uninformed, heavy metals can cause many fatal to severe health risks in babies and developing children. If fed in large amounts over a long period of time, heavy metals begin to accumulate and gradually start affecting the health of the babies. They have proven to be harmful to the developing brain and may cause problems related to cognition, behavior, and learning.

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Reports show a gradual decline in the heavy metal content in baby food but still a long way to go

Baby Foods are often meant for developing babies who are six months of age or older. As they continue to grow and learn about big and small things every day, they require a lot of energy and nutrition for their overall development. Though ready-made baby foods and snacks, often made with rice and sweet potatoes, come in handy, not all of them are equally healthy or safe for your babies.

As per the recent reports from the Consumer Reports organization, several food and snack brands making food products for babies continue to have concerning levels of heavy metals. During the Consumer Reports organization's first analysis of baby foods and snacks, conducted back in 2018, 33 out of the 50 tested foods contained heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic.

Several Baby Food brands continue to contain concerning levels of heavy metals (Image via D3SIGN / Getty Images)

The pressure from parents and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did cause some brands to make amends over the last five years, but recent analysis shows that there's still a long way to go. The Consumer Reports 2023 analysis targeted seven of the most concerning Baby Food and snack brands from the results of the 2018 analysis and found that:

1. The levels of heavy metals show a gradual decline in at least three of the seven brands.
2. The levels of heavy metals remain the same in at least one of the seven brands.
3. The levels of heavy metals have gradually increased in at least three of the seven brands.

When reached for comments, Gerber, Earth's Best, and Beechnut informed the Consumer Reports organization about the regular testing of both the raw ingredients and the final products for heavy metals. Happy Baby on the other hand informed the organization about the regular testing of the final products. However, Hot Kid, the brand which makes Baby Mum-Mum products, refrained from responding.